


A Fire Burning in Her Bones

by JasmineTeaLatte



Series: The Phoenix and the Dragon [13]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Bending (Avatar), Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Feels, Fire Nation Royal Family, Firebending & Firebenders, Katara and Zuko (Avatar) are Parents, Original Character(s), Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26324311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasmineTeaLatte/pseuds/JasmineTeaLatte
Summary: Some of Izumi’s favorite memories as a child were of her father and mother bending fire and water, and she always dreamed of someday mastering either of the two elements, just like them.After all, she was the crown princess of the Fire Nation, and her parents were two of the strongest benders in the world. She had to follow in their footsteps and become a bender one day, too......didn't she?
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong, Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: The Phoenix and the Dragon [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847290
Comments: 122
Kudos: 155





	1. The Fire Princess

**Author's Note:**

> I'm switching things up again - this time, I'm exploring the POV of Zuko and Katara's eldest daughter Izumi, which is something I've wanted to do ever since I wrote about her in "Phoenix and Dragon."
> 
> Specifically, how would she come to terms with being a nonbender and heir to the Fire Nation, since her younger brother (and next in line after her) actually is a firebender? I wanted to have a gender-flip of Zuko and Azula's relationship as well as Sokka and Katara's, with the younger sibling considered by some to be better suited as a leader or as the more "talented" one.
> 
> Additionally, how would she and her siblings react when they learned just how their parents met and eventually ended up together, not to mention the Fire Nation's role in the Hundred Year War that ended shortly before they were born?
> 
> The rest of Team Avatar will show up in the following chapters, and there will be a few appearances by other characters, too, which will be tagged in future updates.
> 
> I'm not sure yet how long this will be or how often it will be updated. However, I've already got an ending scene in mind, so I'll at least be able to work my way towards that. So without further ado, here's my take on the story of Princess Izumi...

_I might only have one match  
But I can make an explosion_

Fight Song - Rachel Platten

* * *

Some of Princess Izumi’s earliest and fondest memories were of her parents bending ice and fire.

When she was little, she loved whenever her mother, Fire Lady Katara, seemingly pulled water out of thin air and made small snowflakes and crystalline orbs for her amusement.

Her mother also used the water to heal, washing away her scrapes and bruises from whenever she fell or played too roughly, which was quite often.

Whenever they visited their beach house on Ember Island, she watched in fascination as her mother easily controlled the waves crashing against the shoreline with her hands.

Water was cool, soothing, and refreshing, and Izumi always felt at peace whenever she watched her mother surrounded by her element.

But if she had to choose between her parents’ bending, she secretly preferred her father’s.

Maybe it was because she always enjoyed how safe and warm he made her feel whenever he hugged her, maybe it was the fact that she was the heir to the _Fire Nation_ , or maybe it was even because their family had an actual dragon, albeit a juvenile one that barely came up to her mother's waist.

She wasn’t entirely sure, but whatever the reason, she loved whenever her father, Fire Lord Zuko, conjured up golden flames within his palms. He let her move in close enough to feel their warmth while still keeping enough distance so they wouldn’t burn her.

"Fire is nothing to fear, Izumi," he explained to her on countless occasions. "But you have to be careful and respect it, because otherwise it will hurt you."

She knew her father had been burned years before she was born, but she never shied away from the left side of his face. To her, it was just as much a part of him as his golden eyes, which were the exact same color as hers.

When she was old enough to understand what a scar was, she asked him how he got it one night as her parents tucked her into bed. They exchanged a long look before turning back to her.

"It's not a story you should hear right before bedtime," he said gently, sitting on the edge of her bed. "I'll explain everything one day when you're older, because there are some things you won't understand just yet."

She cautiously reached out to touch the mark but stopped herself. However, he just nodded in encouragement.

"It's okay," he assured her. "It's nothing to be scared of."

"Just be gentle," her mother instructed, lightly rubbing his shoulders.

Izumi's tiny hands carefully felt around the hardened ridges that separated the softer skin from the redness of the scar itself.

"Did it hurt really bad?" she whispered, and he nodded.

"It was the second most painful experience of my life," he said somberly. "But it doesn't hurt anymore."

Her father was so strong and so tough that Izumi couldn't imagine anything actually hurting him.

Then he grimaced and rested his hand on the center of his chest, and she realized he must have been burned that time, too.

She had seen his second scar before whenever he practiced firebending, but since it was usually covered up she always forgot about it.

"What happened?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

But he shook his head, this time with a grim smile.

"That's another story for when you're older," he said, ruffling her hair. "But if I had to, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Some people and things are worth getting hurt for."

Her mother seemed choked up for a second and leaned over to kiss the top of his head, and he looked up at her as the two exchanged a solemn look of understanding.

Izumi was confused by that. She could tell her parents were sad, and she didn’t quite know what to do to make them feel better.

But she decided to copy what her mother always did whenever she got injured. She leaned over and gave her father's left eye a soft kiss.

"There, now you're all better and it won't hurt anymore!" she declared, echoing her mother's words of comfort.

She saw the expression on his face, although she didn't understand what it meant at the time. He just smiled and gave her another hug, kissing her cheek.

"Thank you so much, Zum," he whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse. "I feel as good as new."

Her mother turned away for a moment, wiping her eyes before she faced them again, a sad smile on her face.

Izumi thought she saw tears in her father's eyes too, but they were quickly blinked away.

Then he started telling her a funny story about Grampa Iroh, and soon she was giggling once more and forgot all about her parents' sadness.

~*~*~

She knew fire was dangerous, but it could also be beautiful, too.

Sometimes her father would ignite candles, lanterns, and torches from a distance, and she’d squeal happily as everything was suddenly awash in a warm, golden light.

Other times he’d even make shapes with the fire, like waves or strings or suns, usually whenever he practiced on the courtyard.

Izumi would stare open-mouthed, and he’d always beam at her reaction. 

“Can I do that too?” she asked them both once when she was about five, and they smiled at her.

“You never know, sweetie,” her mom had said while her father shrugged. “Many benders don’t show signs until they’re about six or even after. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“But if you’re not a bender, we’ll love you just as much no matter what,” her father insisted, pulling her in for another warm embrace.

At that, her mother smiled and joined them for a group hug, and the princess remembered how safe and happy she felt.

Then her little brother and sister both started wailing from the other room, and her mother rushed off to check on them.

But her father held back for just a minute before he followed her.

“Listen to me,” he said gently but urgently, kneeling down to look at Izumi directly. “We’ll never be disappointed in you for who you are. Don’t ever forget that. I love you because you’re _my_ daughter, not because of what you can or can’t do. I’ll always be proud of you.”

She nodded. Of course, both of her parents got upset whenever she behaved badly, but she never once doubted they loved her or her siblings.

~*~*~

Izumi had been raised to respect all bending forms and cultures, so she never thought it strange that her mother wore blues and silvers amidst all of the reds and crimsons in the palace. 

She only saw how happy her parents were, especially whenever the three of them were together, and even more so after her little brother Hanzo and his twin sister Kya were born.

It never occurred to her that any element was superior to the others, and as she grew up, she tried to copy both of her parents’ bending movements. 

“Water and fire are opposites, but they both bring life,” her parents always said. “You have to be careful with them, though, because they can also destroy it.”

She woke up at dawn nearly every day, meeting her father for meditations, and afterwards she followed him out to the training courtyard to watch him firebend.

The princess gaped in amazement as he created walls of golden flames and bursts that were so intense she could feel their heat on her face even from far away.

Druk would usually curl up on the steps near her whenever he wasn’t busy flying around or hunting, watching the display below with interest.

Occasionally Izumi leaned up against his scaly side, giggling whenever he let out puffs of smoke from his snout, and he’d twist his neck around to give her warm snuffles and sometimes even lick her face.

She’d just been a toddler when her father and the Avatar returned from a trip with Druk in tow, and her parents told her that once she’d met him, the two became instant friends and playmates. 

“Just remember that he’s a dragon,” they explained. “He’s going to get a lot bigger, so you need to be careful when you play with him.”

But Druk never hurt her, and in fact he guarded her like she was his own offspring. Whenever he did so, she occasionally noticed her father watched their interactions with a smile on his face.

~*~*~

Unlike her husband, the Fire Lady didn’t rise with the sun, so she’d always be a bit groggy when she joined them a short time later.

Izumi happily followed along as she too warmed up with her own set of katas before her mother eventually called forth water from the nearby canals, creating waves and ice and showers.

Her parents even combined their bending on occasion, sometimes creating steam. Other times her mother held clear orbs in midair, and her father held flames near them, and Izumi watched as the water magnified the fire’s light and made it shine even brighter than before.

One day, she was outside sitting on the steps with her siblings and their nannies watching her parents bending when it started to rain. That in itself wasn’t unusual.

What was unusual, though, was that it was still mostly sunny with a few clouds overhead, and the raindrops looked almost golden as they sparkled and fell around them.

Druk hissed once it started raining and promptly flew away to find shelter, as dragons didn’t like getting wet.

But Izumi watched, fascinated, holding out her palm to catch the water before the nannies ushered her under a covered awning.

She looked around for her parents in confusion when she realized they hadn’t joined their group. Then she saw them standing in the middle of the courtyard smiling at each other, even though they were getting absolutely soaked.

Neither of them seemed to mind, though.

Izumi watched as her mother gracefully waved her arms outward, and all of the rain stopped falling, creating a pocket around just the two of them, the droplets suspended in midair.

The princess joined in as other onlookers made sounds of wonderment. She saw her parents beaming at each other, and her father walked over to stand right in front of her mother.

He said something that Izumi couldn’t quite hear, but then he leaned down and kissed his wife tenderly, cradling her face in his hands.

They both looked incredibly happy when they finally walked over to join Izumi and the others, and her mother bended the water away from them.

“Do you know what that was, sweetie?” she asked while smiling over at her father. “That’s called a sun shower. The first time I ever saw one was with your father several years ago before you were born.”

“And when she saw it, your mother bended the rain like she did just now, and that’s when I realized I was in love with her,” her father finished, scooping Izumi up in a hug. “Wasn’t that pretty?”

She nodded and giggled softly as both of her parents hugged her.

Even though she’d always wanted to be a firebender like her father, maybe she’d enjoy being a waterbender and stop the rain someday just like her mother, too. 

~*~*~

Her parents practiced bending against each other nearly every day, although it was obvious even to Izumi that they were playing around and having fun.

A crowd of various people from the palace would gather whenever they faced off, and she overheard many talking about their legendary bending duel that happened years before she was born.

During one of Grampa Iroh’s many visits from the Earth Kingdom, she asked him if he’d seen it back in the day.

She knew Grampa Iroh wasn’t actually her grandfather – he was her father’s uncle, but the Fire Lord loved the jolly old man just as much as if he was his own father.

When her great-uncle affirmed that he had witnessed the spectacular show, she looked down and mumbled how she wished she could have been around for the match.

At that he looked thoughtful, and later that night he met with both of her parents, speaking in hushed tones.

To Izumi’s surprise and excitement, the next day they announced they would recreate it to the best of their abilities and from what they remembered.

The entire palace turned out to watch, and she sat beside Grampa Iroh, watching excitedly.

Hanzo and Kya were three-and-half years old, still too young to fully appreciate it, but their nannies propped them up in their laps so they could see, too.

Izumi’s mouth was open as she watched her parents create fire and water whips that sizzled as they entangled around each other. She gasped when her father created walls and waves of flames, which her mother retaliated with ones made of water.

The only time she got scared was when her mother froze them both within a sphere of ice, and she thought that was the end of both her parents. She cried out and covered her eyes, but Grampa Iroh gently patted her back.

“Shh, it’s okay Princess Izumi! Watch what happens next.”

To her astonishment, she watched as her parents created pockets of water in the solid ice using only their breath and how they both emerged unharmed, grinning at each other as the water flowed around their feet.

“Ready for the big finale?” she heard her father ask, and her mother nodded.

“Just be careful when you sweep my legs,” she cautioned, and he assured her he’d be gentle.

Then Izumi’s eyes widened when she saw her mother create a massive blue bird out of nothing but water and held it above her head. Her father sent more fire towards her but eventually he landed on one of his knees and his flames went out.

“Did Mommy win?” she asked, and her great-uncle shook his head.

“Just wait and see!” he chuckled.

Then Izumi cried out again when she saw her father sweep his leg behind her mother’s, knocking her off-balance, but the princess realized her fears were premature when he safely caught her immediately.

All of the water came crashing down around them in the courtyard, but her mother bended an arc above them, protecting them from the shower.

They kissed afterwards and bowed before the crowd, just like they’d put on a theatrical performance.

Izumi cheered the loudest of all, and she ran out to meet them, carefully making her way across the slippery wet tiles, and they swept her up in a big embrace.

She chattered away as her father carried her back over to the sidelines, and both of her parents smiled and nodded along before they finally they asked her which part she liked best.

Of course it was the ending, she told them, with the blue water bird and the rain shower and the walls of fire.

The met up with Grampa Iroh and her siblings’ nannies when they reached the sidelines, and she found herself talking with him again as her parents hugged Hanzo and Kya as well.

One of the nannies then asked her which element she liked most and which one she wanted to bend.

“After all young princess, as you just saw, both of your parents are very powerful benders! You too could become a master of either water or fire.”

Izumi noticed her parents had stopped their conversations and were now paying close attention to see how she’d respond. She didn’t know what to say without hurting either one of their feelings, so she answered as honestly as possible.

“Can’t I do both?” she asked, and she was surprised when several people around her laughed.

Her parents didn’t, though. Instead they smiled at each other, and her father knelt down to be on her level.

“I’m afraid not,” he said gently. “Only the Avatar can master more than one element. You remember meeting Uncle Aang, right?”

She nodded. She’d met him a few times, actually, along with Aunt Toph and their infant son Bumi.

The Avatar wasn’t really her uncle, but he and his wife were best friends with her parents, so it made sense to refer to them as her family, too.

Her actual aunt and uncle weren’t benders, but she had heard many stories over the years about what great warriors they were.

Uncle Sokka and her father would practice fighting with their swords whenever they came to visit, too, although Izumi never paid much attention to those particular matches.

She was far more interested in watching the ones that involved bending instead.

~*~*~

Later that night, she was still talking excitedly as they got her ready to turn in for the night.

“Okay, okay, settle down,” her mother laughed, planting a kiss on her forehead. “It’s time for princesses to go to bed.”

She pouted and looked at her father, having figured out long ago that when she did that, she could get away with almost anything.

“Daddy, can’t I stay up a little longer, please?” she begged, but to her frustration he just smiled and shook his head.

“Sorry, your mother is right. Time to go to sleep.”

But then she pouted again, blinking her big golden eyes up at him, and he instantly caved.

“Okay, okay, one more bedtime story,” he relented, grinning sheepishly at her mother. “But after that, it’s lights out.”

Her mother raised her eyebrow and bit back a smile. She'd just tease her husband later about how utterly whipped he was around their daughter.

“Don’t stay up too late,” she said, giving Izumi a final kiss goodnight. “I _mean_ it, you two.”

They nodded sincerely, but once she left the door cracked behind her, father and daughter shared a conspiratorial smirk.

He kicked off his boots and stretched out on the bed, his hands tucked under his neck, and she scooted over to rest her head on his shoulder. 

“One story, that’s it,” he said, smiling down at his daughter. “So which one do you want to hear?”

She thought about this for a moment.

“How did you meet Mommy?” she asked.

He smiled and ruffled her hair. They had never told her that particular tale, although she occasionally asked to hear it.

“I don’t have time to tell you the full story now, Zum, but I promise we’ll tell it to you one day.”

She pouted again.

“But I want to hear it _tonight_ , Daddy.”

Her father shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“Sorry, my love. I’ve got another story idea, and it's short enough that I can tell it without keeping you up too late. Have I ever told you about where your name came from?”

She shook her head, intrigued.

“Your name, Izumi, means water or fountain. Once upon a time, back when your mother and I were younger, we were staying at the beach house one summer with Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki and Uncle Aang and Aunt Toph. You remember going to the beach house, right?”

He continued after she nodded.

“Well, one night while we were staying there, they all found out I didn’t know how to dance, so they decided to throw a party to teach me…”

Izumi listened, completely captivated by the tale of how her father learned various dance styles and moves from his friends before he ended up dancing with her mother beside the fire-lit fountain in the courtyard.

(He embellished over or omitted certain details, of course, especially just _how_ the night came to an end between him and Katara.)

“It was just like your fairy tales, Zum,” he explained. “Mommy was all dressed up like a princess, and there was magic in the air that night.”

She made a sound of wonderment as he described how the courtyard was lit by lanterns and candles and the occasional fireflies, and how the firelight shimmered as it reflected in the fountain’s water.

“It was all very pretty,” he said softly, looking off in the distance for a moment as he recalled the memory. “But that night, your mother was the prettiest sight I’d ever seen.”

Even if they wouldn’t tell her exactly how they’d met, Izumi loved hearing stories about her parents like this. 

“And you were her Prince Charming, right Daddy?” she asked.

He looked down at her in amusement.

“Something like that,” he said with a chuckle.

One day when she was older he’d tell his daughter about his less-than-charming days, but for now, he loved seeing her wide eyes and happy face when he told her bedtime stories.

Izumi still had two more years before she’d start at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, where she’d learn all about her family’s history, and he wanted her to hold on to that innocence just a little while longer.

“… and then Mommy and I danced all night long under the starry sky surrounded by the glowing lanterns shining on the water in the fountain,” he finished grandly, flourishing one of his hands.

By that point her eyes were heavy, and he knew she was almost out cold. Her father leaned over and gave his daughter a light kiss on her forehead.

“Sweet dreams, my love,” he whispered, echoing the words his own mother used to tell him every night when she tucked him in.

He quietly stood and crept over to the bedroom door, snuffing out the candles and lights with a flick of his wrist before he closed it behind him.

~*~*~

Zuko was pleasantly surprised to find his wife waiting up for him in their bedroom with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Our daughter definitely takes after you. I can’t say no when she makes those big eyes at me.”

Katara just shook her head and chuckled, kissing him on the cheek as she wrapped her husband up in an embrace.

“So which story did you go with?” she asked, and she grinned when he told her.

“Don’t worry, I left out the best parts at the end,” he teased, giving her a playful kiss.

Then the smile on his face faded a few moments later.

“She asked again to hear about how we met, and I felt bad turning her down.”

His wife looked up at him with a lopsided smile.

“We don’t have to tell her the full story,” she offered, but he shook his head, frowning slightly.

“I made a vow when she was born that I would never lie to her or any of our kids about their heritage,” he said quietly, sitting on the side of the bed. “And a lie by omission is still a lie, Katara.”

She sat beside him and slipped her arm around his lower back.

“Izumi’s going to find out eventually,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Better she find out from us than someone else.”

He sighed and gave his wife a sideways hug.

“I know,” he said quietly. “I just wish it was a happier story.”

Katara glanced down at the floor for a moment before she smiled back up at her husband.

“Well, we may not have had the best start, but I’d say we’ve had a very happy ending,” she countered, kissing his cheek. “And we’re just getting started.”

He glanced over at her, a smirk forming on his face again.

“That’s not the only thing that’s just getting started,” he said before kissing her neck, and she giggled.

~*~*~

When her sixth birthday rolled around, Izumi woke up early as usual to meet her father in the room where he meditated every morning.

She settled down on the mat across from his and watched in awe as the candles surrounding them flickered to life with a careful swish of his wrist.

Even though her eyes were supposed to be closed during meditation, she’d always open them into tiny slivers to watch the flames grow and diminish in harmony with her father’s breathing.

He noticed of course but pretended like he didn’t, sometimes making the tiny fires grow a little bigger than normal and smirking to himself when she’d gasp.

Izumi always enjoyed these quiet times with her father, but she preferred what came after. He snuffed out the candles, and he sometimes carried her on his back down to the training arena.

She followed his movements like she always did as he practiced his katas, and she had almost gotten to the point where she could keep up with him.

Then she was sent over to the side steps a safe distance away before he started firebending.

This morning, her mother didn’t join him down on the courtyard when she woke up. Instead, she sat on the steps beside her, accompanied by a servant carrying a tray of tea for them to sip on.

Izumi was also surprised with a few freshly baked seaweed cookies in addition to her tea. She knew those were her mother’s favorite treat growing up, and now they were hers, too.

They always ate breakfast together after her parents washed up following their bending practice, but she never got to have any sweets before lunchtime, much less at breakfast.

“Happy birthday, sweetie,” her mother said, giving her a big hug and a kiss. “How was meditation this morning?”

“Fine,” she said in between bites of her cookie, not taking her eyes off her father’s firebending display below.

Her mother just grinned and continued watching her husband practice as well, smiling proudly whenever he paused and waved over in their direction.

When she finished her cup of tea and her treats, Izumi settled down on the steps in front of her mother.

“Will you braid my hair, Mommy?” she asked, and Katara nodded proudly. 

She loved the way her mother’s soft hands effortlessly plaited off sections of her hair and braided it into elaborate styles, all without taking her eyes off of her husband.

Izumi’s own braiding skills were coming along well, although her mother’s were far superior due to years of practice.

“Mommy?” she asked after a few minutes. “You won’t be mad if I become a firebender instead of a waterbender, right?”

“Of course not, sweetie,” her mother murmured, kissing the top of her head. “I’d be very proud of you if you turn out to be a firebender, a waterbender, or a nonbender.”

Izumi nodded but thought that the last idea was silly. She was the Fire Princess, and her parents were two of the strongest benders in the world.

She _had_ to follow in one of their footsteps, right?

~*~*~

For some reason, she always assumed that her bending would manifest the day she turned six, but to her dismay, that wouldn’t be the case.

To her frustration, no matter how hard she tried to conjure up fire or call forth water, Izumi just couldn’t do it.

It couldn’t be from lack of trying, either. She practiced hard with both of her parents until she could perform both sets of katas almost from memory, but nothing worked.

One evening a few months after her sixth birthday, she stood beside the turtleduck pond watching her mother demonstrate yet again how to call forth water.

Izumi struggled over and over to make something, _anything_ happen, but it was to no avail.

Her father sat cross-legged nearby with his back against the tree, watching with his arms folded and a small frown on his face.

She knew her father’s bending had developed a little later than most people’s, especially compared to his sister, who Izumi knew of but never met. Her parents didn’t really talk about her Aunt Azula, only saying that she could meet her when she was older.

After yet another failed attempt at bending water, the princess finally had a meltdown.

“Why can’t I do it?” she cried, stomping her foot and balling up her fists. “I’m trying, I really am!”

Immediately her mother stopped bending and took her into her arms, whispering reassurances that did little to comfort her.

Izumi only sobbed harder when she felt her father’s arms wrap around them both as well.

He too told her it was okay, but she looked up at one point and saw the silent look they exchanged, and she knew it really wasn’t.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a nonbender,” he said while brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

That only made her feel worse, though. She wiggled out of their arms and settled down on the grass, and they sat on either side of her.

“But I’m a princess,” she wailed. “I _have_ to be a bender.”

“Says who?”

She looked up at her mother in shock.

“But how can I be Fire Lord when I grow up if I can’t bend?” she asked.

It still hadn’t occurred to her that the Fire Nation had never had a waterbender in a leadership role before. All she worried about was not being able to bend at _all_.

Katara gave her daughter a reassuring smile.

"Well, your grandfather isn't a waterbender and he's the chief of the entire Southern Water Tribe," she said, giving her a squeeze. "The same goes for Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe."

Izumi's other grandfather wasn't a bender, either, at least not anymore. However, she wouldn't learn all about him until a few years later, and she would be well into her teens before she finally met Ozai.

“Besides, the Earth King isn’t an earthbender either and he does just fine,” her father added.

Izumi just hugged her knees and looked down sadly.

Her father picked her up and set her in his lap, wrapping his strong, warm arms around her. Usually whenever he did so, she always felt safe and happy, but now she just felt ashamed.

“Listen to me, Izumi,” he said softly. “Do you remember what I told you before? We love you no matter what, whether you’re a bender or not. We’ll always be proud of you because you’re our daughter.”

She just cried against his chest, and he hugged her even tighter.

At some point she dozed off in his arms and woke up to her parents tucking her into her bed.

She was too tired to keep her eyes open, so she just rolled over and pulled the covers up around her shoulders.

Izumi sensed both of her parents kiss her forehead and whisper goodnight, and she settled down in her bed to get comfy.

But she had bad dreams that night, of her father frowning down angrily as she tried and failed to create fire, and of her mother turning away from her with her arms crossed when she couldn’t bend water.


	2. Prodigy

The next morning, Izumi didn’t rush down to meet her father for his morning meditations like she usually did.

She took her time, trudging through the palace hallways following her lady-in-waiting, politely nodding her head to acknowledge the servants who bowed at her as she passed just like she’d been taught.

“Good morning, Princess!” they said cheerily, but she found it difficult to match their enthusiasm.

A few even exchanged silent looks with her escort and asked her if she felt ill. Izumi didn’t speak, instead shaking her head and staring down at the carpeted floor as she walked.

Finally the door to the Fire Lord’s meditation chamber loomed before them, and she swallowed as her companion knocked.

It opened a few seconds later, and her father’s relieved face smiled down at her. She could see that he’d already gotten started, and the candles flickered behind him.

“There’s my girl!” he said, scooping her up in his arms, thanking and dismissing the servant who'd accompanied her. “I was starting to think you were standing your old man up.”

He gave her a gentle hug and set her back down, kneeling so he was at her eye level. 

“I know how upset you were last night,” he said, putting his calloused, warm hand on her shoulder. “But please remember this, Zum – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it as many times as I need to. I’m proud of you no matter what, because you’re my daughter and I love you. Do you understand?”

She nodded, staring at the ground again. He sighed and delicately kissed her cheek. 

“Do you still want to meditate with me this morning? It might clear your head and make you feel better.”

Izumi looked up and saw how worried he was, and she gave him a tiny smile so he wouldn't be sad.

It wasn’t a sincere one, and she could tell that he realized how strained it was as well, but nonetheless they both settled down on their mats as usual a few moments later.

~*~*~

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but after gradually syncing her breathing up until it was in tune with her father’s, she started to feel a little better.

After a long silence he spoke, which immediately snapped her to attention. He never talked once he began meditating, only afterwards whenever he was finished.

“I haven’t really told you about my childhood before, have I?” he asked quietly, his eyes still closed.

He didn’t wait for her to respond before he continued.

“You’re going to learn all about it one day, and I know you’ll have a lot of questions. I promise I’ll answer them as honestly as possible, but there are some things I’m not ready for you to know just yet.”

She just stared at him, tilting her head in mild confusion.

His eyes remained shut.

“I want you to understand something important, Izumi,” he said, and she knew he was being serious since he almost never used her full name. “I want you to know why I’ll never be disappointed in you, and why I tell you as often as possible how much I love you and how proud I am to have you as my daughter.”

He took a deep breath, and for a moment the candlelight blazed ever so slightly before it receded.

“I… I didn’t have a good relationship with my own father growing up. Your Aunt Azula was always better at firebending than me, and she was my father’s favorite. Ozai looked down on me because in his eyes, I was weak and pathetic, especially compared to her. She was a child prodigy, and I used to hear whispers from other people when I was your age that, even though I was older, she would be a better Fire Lord instead of me.”

He paused. He heard those whispers frequently right after he was crowned as well and sometimes even now, although much less often. But his daughter didn’t need to know all of that just yet.

Instead, he explained how the only ones in his family who actually accepted him without judgement were his own mother and Grampa Iroh. Then one day, he said, his mother disappeared. 

Izumi knew that fortunately, he found her again after many years of searching. She thought then of her grandmother’s kind, smiling face that reminded her a lot of her own mother’s and how she always felt happy whenever she visited.

Then Zuko explained to his daughter that after Grandmother Ursa went missing, Ozai stopped being nice to him altogether.

Izumi could tell that talking about this was upsetting him despite his deceptively calm exterior, but she didn’t know if she should stop him.

Suddenly she wondered just how lonely and unhappy her father’s childhood must have been, completely unlike her own. Maybe that’s why he didn’t talk about it that much.

Then he said something that made her feel sick to her stomach.

“My father told me on several occasions that your Aunt Azula was born lucky, while I was lucky to be born,” he added bitterly.

The candles’ flames burned hotter once again, but only for a second or two, and he finally opened his eyes.

As he expected, his young daughter was horrified by this revelation, and he decided to end it right there.

He noted inwardly that it would only be worse once she learned the full truth about her grandfather, but for now, he would spare her as much heartbreak as possible.

“Why did-” she started to ask, but he shook his head.

“That’s enough for now,” he said quietly. “I’ll tell you the rest when you’re older.”

He hesitated before speaking again.

“When I found out your mother was pregnant with you, I made a promise that I’d never let any of my children ever feel unloved or ashamed of who they are. I want you and your siblings to grow up knowing your father actually cares about you.”

He swallowed thickly, looking off in the distance for a moment like he was lost in his thoughts.

Izumi wasn’t sure what she should say or do next. Up until now, her parents had only told her happy stories about their younger days. This was unfamiliar territory, and she felt uneasy and a little scared.

Then a thought occurred to her.

“What happened to Grandfather Ozai?” she asked quietly.

She shrunk a little in her seat when she saw his eyes narrow at the mention of _that_ particular title associated with his father’s name.

Small wisps of smoke rose from his clenched fists, and she was scared that she’d made him angry. He fussed at her when she misbehaved, but he’d never raised his voice or lost his temper in her presence.

He immediately noticed her reaction and relaxed his hands as his facial features softened. He even looked ashamed for a moment.

“It’s okay, Izumi, I promise I’m not upset… I’m not upset at you,” he said in the most reassuring voice he could muster up. “You don’t have to worry about him. He’s… he’s not here anymore.”

He hesitated.

“One day I’ll tell you everything you need to know about your grandfather, but he will _never_ be a part of your life, do you understand me?”

She nodded, wanting to ask if that meant he went missing just like Grandmother Ursa had.

But her father closed his eyes again and exhaled slowly, and Izumi lost her nerve.

Maybe Grandfather Ozai had died instead, she thought. She wasn’t entirely familiar with the concept itself, but she knew that people would say things like that about someone recently departed.

After several moments Zuko opened his eyes and gave his daughter a lopsided smile, and she scrambled to her feet. Once she was closer, she wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a hug.

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered.

His breath caught in his throat, and he gave her a gentle squeeze as he exhaled deeply. 

“I love you too, Izumi,” he whispered back, his voice hoarse.

Technically, he’d kept his vow – he hadn’t lied to his daughter about her grandfather or his cruelty. He just hadn’t been completely honest, either.

Even though he knew he was partially justified in wanting to protect her from the uglier parts of their family history, he suddenly wondered if keeping the truth from her made him no better than Ozai on some level.

~*~*~

To Izumi’s surprise, he didn’t lead them directly to the courtyard once meditation ended.

Instead, he picked up his sheathed dual dao broadswords from where they were propped up in the corner and slung them over his shoulder. She'd been too preoccupied with her thoughts when she walked in earlier, and she hadn't even noticed them in the candlelight.

“I thought we’d try something different today,” he explained, handing her a pair of similar wooden ones that were child-sized. “I haven’t fought with my swords in a while, and I’m getting out of shape. Want to help me practice?”

Izumi inspected her practice swords, holding them out and turning them over in her hands.

“But you’re a firebender, Daddy,” she said, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Why do you need them?”

She had seen him practicing a few times before, but only when Uncle Sokka came to visit.

He smiled down at her, but she could still tell there was a hint of sadness behind it.

“Remember how I said everyone looked down on me because I wasn’t as good a firebender as Aunt Azula? Well, your grandmother decided that I should learn sword fighting to make up for it. I know you haven’t seen me practice often, but your old man's not half bad.”

He paused and grinned at a far-off memory.

“Remind me to tell you sometime about how I impressed your Granddad Hakoda and the whole Southern Water Tribe during a practice fight against his best warriors, using only my broadswords,” he said proudly, a faint smirk now on his face. “Your mom wasn’t too happy with me because I got all beat up, but it was worth it. No one from the village has doubted me as a swordsman ever since.”

Izumi tilted her head up at him in surprise. For some reason she’d always assumed her father didn’t like sword fighting as much as firebending, but it appeared that she might be wrong after all.

He continued, almost as if he could read her thoughts.

“The reason I’ve been firebending more these days is because I wanted to prove to everyone how powerful of a Fire Lord I am,” he explained. “But I think it’s time to remind them all just how good I am with broadswords, too. And if you want to learn how to fight with them, I can train you myself. What do you say?”

She smiled a little then, although she was still a little nervous to ask the question weighing heavily on her mind.

“Are you sad that you can’t teach me firebending, Daddy?” she asked, dreading his answer.

He just smiled and picked up a pair of adult-sized wooden broadswords as well, holding open the door for her.

“Bending isn’t everything,” he said simply, giving her a wink as he led her down the hallways towards the courtyard. “Besides, a dragon’s teeth and claws are just as deadly as its fire.”

~*~*~

When the Fire Lady walked outside a little later that morning carrying Kya, followed by another nanny carrying Hanzo, she was pleasantly surprised to see her eldest daughter cautiously swinging around small wooden broadswords, mimicking Zuko’s movements.

Katara was already dressed out in her training clothes, but she decided her waterbending session could wait for a little while.

She settled down on the steps with the twins and their nanny to watch the practice below, nodding when a servant asked if she’d like a cup of tea as she waited.

Then she adjusted Kya to a comfortable position on her knees as she listened in.

“… remember, Zum, these are dual swords,” Zuko was saying, holding out his metal ones for her to inspect and demonstrating how they fit together. “They’re two halves of a single weapon. Don't think of them as separate because they’re not. They’re actually two different parts of the same whole.”

Katara then raised her eyebrow when she heard Izumi ask if she could hold the real swords. She also thought she saw her husband’s gaze flicker over in her direction for a brief moment, almost as if he were considering it, before he shook his head.

“Not yet,” he said. “But if you decide you want to seriously pursue sword fighting, you can one day.”

Izumi seemed placated by that answer and nodded.

Father and daughter continued practicing, him instructing her on the finer details like adjusting her grip on the hilts and correcting her posture.

After a while she finally asked if she could try sparring against him. He grinned down at her, sheathing his broadswords and setting them aside.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, picking up the practice ones. “Do you remember what your defensive stance looks like?” 

She quickly copied his pose from earlier and held the wooden swords up, just like he had shown her.

“That’s my girl,” he said, beaming, moving into position as well. “Now attack.”

Izumi found herself yelling as she ran towards him, swinging them around wildly.

Her father just artfully sidestepped and she tripped as she tried to pivot, but he caught her by the back of her shirt, holding her up as her wooden swords clattered to the ground below.

She looked up at him, blushing as he raised his eyebrow in amusement.

“You’re just like your Uncle Sokka, at least before he got better,” he deadpanned, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “When we used to practice, he would yell ‘sneak attack’ before he tried to sneak attack me, and I was able to counter him every time.”

He stood her back upright and patted her shoulder.

“Now, try again,” he encouraged her with a wink as they both moved back into position.

This time she didn’t yell, although she didn’t get any closer to hitting him, and once again he easily dodged from her blows.

She tried a third, fourth, and fifth time, but to her frustration he always slipped just out of reach.

Izumi was starting to get mad now, and it was then that she noticed her mother sitting on the sidelines, now joined by a small crowd of people.

Hanzo and Kya were finally starting to become more aware of their surroundings and were watching their big sister in fascination. Even if she couldn’t be a bender, she still wanted to look cool in front of her younger siblings and everyone else.

She tried swinging at her father several more times but he always gracefully swirled and moved away, and the only thing her wooden swords hit was thin air and the tiles below.

Finally she let out a loud huff and crossed her arms.

“Sorry, Zum, I’m not going to give you any special treatment,” he said with a wink. “You’re making progress though. Keep it up.”

Izumi just glared up at her father, out of breath and frustrated.

But to her consternation, he chuckled when he saw her reaction, which just made her even madder than before.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m not laughing at you, I promise,” he said, nodding his head in her mother’s direction, and she turned to look at the sidelines as well. “Katara, who does her face remind you of right now?”

Her mother’s face split into a wide grin when she saw it.

“She’s a dead ringer for you, especially back in the day, Zuko,” she said. “I remember seeing that scowl on your face many, many times, and occasionally even now.”

That clearly wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting to hear, and he visibly was taken aback.

“I was going to say she looks just like _you_ when she’s mad,” he said a little testily. 

But his wife grinned and shook her head.

“Sorry, Sifu Hotman. I’ve seen you make that grumpy face more times than I can count.”

At that he frowned and crossed his arms, which only proved her point.

"Like father, like daughter," she said, badly stifling good-natured giggles.

The nannies and various members of the staff who had turned out to watch the practice session were a little more successful at hiding their grins, but not by much.

“Unbelievable,” Zuko muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

Then he saw Izumi looking up at him in confusion and he sighed.

“That’s the nickname your Uncle Aang gave me many years ago, and your mother and our friends still think it’s funny.”

Izumi giggled in spite of herself, and she noticed that her father’s frown lightened a little when he heard her. He couldn’t stay annoyed at something if it brought his wife or children happiness, after all.

He gave her shoulder a pat.

"At least my daughter here is still loyal to me, right Zum?" he asked in a tone of mock exasperation, giving her a wink.

She nodded solemnly, biting her lower lip.

“Yes sir, Sifu Hotman,” she said respectfully before cracking up, and her mother immediately burst into full-on laughter, tears escaping from the corners of her eyes.

Her father just gave both his wife and eldest daughter a wounded look at their complete and utter betrayal. 

“Unbelievable,” he said again, tilting his head skyward and groaning in frustration.

Izumi giggled and wrapped her arms around her father's waist. He immediately smiled down at her, ruffling her hair. If it made his little girl happy, he supposed he could let that slide.

“Want to keep practicing, Zum?” he asked, and he somehow managed not to scowl when she cheekily agreed and called him that ridiculous nickname yet again.

It was bad enough that Hanzo's first word had been "flameo," although it sounded more like "flay-yo." Now his eldest daughter had turned on him as well.

At least Kya hadn’t been corrupted yet (her first word had been “mama,” much to Katara’s joy), but he had a feeling she would start spouting off at some point in the near future, too.

The next time he saw his best friend the Avatar, he was _definitely_ going to kill him.

~*~*~

Gradually, the crown princess settled into a slightly new routine.

She still rose with the sun to meet her father for their daily morning meditations, but after they made their way to the courtyard, she didn’t copy his firebending katas anymore.

Instead, she practiced with her wooden swords as he watched, nodding in approval or correcting her whenever she made mistakes.

Sometimes he would spar with her, although it was technically less a match and more of him effortlessly dodging her fierce attacks.

“You need to be calm when you strike,” he explained over and over. “But I admire your ferocity. You remind me of me when I was first starting out.”

She also reminded him of his teenage years as well, when his back had been against the wall both literally and figuratively, and he’d actually had to fight like his life depended on it.

But she didn’t need to know all of that just yet, he reasoned.

For now, it was enough to see his eldest daughter following in his footsteps as he watched over her proudly.

~*~*~

A few months later, her Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki visited the capital for the twins’ fourth birthday. 

They arrived a week before the celebrations, and Izumi waited eagerly on the docks with her mother and a small entourage of guards to greet them.

Her father was caught up in meetings but promised his wife and children that after today, his schedule would be wide open just for them.

At last the purple sails of the Southern Water Tribe ships appeared on the horizon, and soon enough she saw her aunt and uncle’s beaming faces, along with her cousins’ from over the sides of the railings.

Izumi was especially happy about getting to see her cousin Kyoshi, who was about a year younger than her. The two girls always had a blast whenever they got together and usually caused a lot of mischief, too.

Separately they were always well-behaved, but together they seemed to gravitate towards trouble – not unlike their fathers, much to the amusement of their mothers.

Her youngest cousin Kuruk was about six months younger than the twins, so he would end up spending time with them, although she was still excited to see him, too.

Massive bear hugs were distributed and ecstatic shouts rang out as brother and sister reunited for the first time in a couple of years.

“Sis!” her uncle roared out, sweeping her mother up in a crushing hug and spinning her around, lifting her off the ground altogether.

“Sokka, you’re breaking my ribs,” her mother laughed as she returned the embrace.

Meanwhile, Izumi received a much gentler and calmer hug from her aunt.

“You’ve grown so much!” Aunt Suki said, beaming down at her niece, cupping her cheek. “You know, I think you and Kyoshi are about the same height now.”

The two cousins hugged and started talking excitedly until the princess too found herself the recipient of a bone-crushing hug and was also swung around, her legs dangling in midair.

“Zum-Zum!” he called out, and she laughed. "I hear you're quite the little sword fighter now! I can't wait to see what all you've learned from your dad, who by the way learned everything he knows from _me_."

Something told her that wasn't quite the case, but she just giggled again. She always loved seeing her goofy uncle and the rest of his family.

Ever since she’d realized she wasn’t meant to be a bender, she'd slowly come to terms with it, but it still made her sad from time to time. 

Hearing all of Uncle Sokka's funny jokes would be just what she needed to cheer herself up.

“So, sis, where’s my favorite brother-in-law?” her uncle asked once all of the greetings concluded and they headed back towards the palace.

Katara sighed.

“Up to his eyes in meetings, just like he’s been all week,” she explained. “He really wanted to be here, but he said if he finished them today, he’d be free starting tomorrow.”

"Bummer,” he replied. “But hey, this is about to be one of the best weeks of celebrations, right Zum-Zum?”

At that he ruffled her hair as she nodded along excitedly.

Izumi knew they still had the ten-year anniversary of the Hundred Year War ending, which was coming up around her seventh birthday.

From what she’d overheard, she knew it would be an even bigger party with all of her parents’ friends and countless representatives from all the nations in attendance.

But for now, she couldn’t wait to celebrate her little brother and sister’s joint birthday in a few days.

~*~*~

Those who first met the Fire Lord would initially be inclined to think him serious and eloquent when handling official matters, if somewhat uptight but still fair.

He was always friendly and polite to all of his servants, though, often inviting them to have tea with him and inquiring about their lives.

When they asked, he’d share stories of his days working at the tea shops in Ba Sing Se with the Dragon of the West, which they always found fascinating.

It was common knowledge that his more lighthearted side only came out around his family and friends, and he openly laughed and smiled around them. 

But many would be surprised to see just how at ease he became when surrounded by those closest to him, such as his brother-in-law, who also happened to be one of his best friends.

Especially when he hadn’t seen his former partner-in-crime in almost two years, who immediately made his presence known the second he saw the Fire Lord.

Zuko finally finished up his long day of meetings some time after dinner was over, and he was absolutely exhausted and starving when all was said and done.

But the thought of seeing his family and friends kept his spirits up, even when he’d been tempted to set the paper scrolls on fire at several points when the delegates just would _not_ cooperate.

Fortunately, they’d finally reached a settlement that everyone agreed with, and he bid them a polite farewell before he trudged down the hallways to join the others who were still waiting for him in the dining hall.

When he opened the door, he knew from past reunions to brace himself just in time for the assault on his eardrums.

“Heyyy!” Sokka called out loudly once he walked in, which echoed down the halls and throughout the room. “There’s my favorite brother-in-law!”

“I’m your only brother-in-law,” he retorted, laughing even as he found himself on the receiving end of a massive bear hug from his old friend.

Then he heard a mild crackle in his spine from the pressure and he sighed happily.

“You just popped my back, thanks buddy,” he said, and Sokka grinned.

By that point, his wife and sister-in-law joined them from across the room, and he enthusiastically greeted Suki as well before turning his full attention to his wife.

“How’d it go?” she asked, kissing his cheek and wrapping her soft arms around him, squeezing gently.

Funny how all of his problems seemed to melt away whenever she smiled up at him, just like she was now.

He sighed and returned the hug, resting his cheek against her hair for a minute to gather strength.

“Well, it’s over, and everyone’s as happy as they’re ever going to be regarding the settlement, and I’m finally, _finally_ free to focus on the people who matter most,” he murmured, kissing her briefly. “So did Sokka eat all the food in the entire capital yet, or is there any left over for me?”

At that Katara and Suki giggled as his friend looked entirely unamused.

“Just for that, I’m having thirds,” Sokka announced, lightly punching his arm before he grinned.

Then Zuko and Katara yelped in surprise (which quickly turned into laughter) when they were nearly knocked over as their niece, nephew, and their three children bowled into them both a few seconds later, deafening them as they shouted their greetings.

~*~*~

The next morning, Izumi met with her father for their daily morning meditations as usual before they made their way down to the courtyard once more.

After about half an hour of sparring against each other, her Uncle Sokka joined them, yawning.

“Have I ever told you that you guys start your days way too early?” he said, covering his mouth.

Her father just smirked and shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“We rise with the sun here,” he said. “Welcome to the Fire Nation. You still need a few more minutes to sleep, or are you ready to show your niece what a real sword fight looks like?”

At that, her uncle returned the smirk and stretched before he unsheathed his sword, moving into position.

“Watch and learn from the masters, Zum-Zum,” Sokka announced loudly. “I know you think your dad is hot stuff, but he doesn’t stand a chance.”

Then he paused.

“Get it? _Hot_ stuff?”

He guffawed at his own joke, slapping his thigh as Izumi giggled in spite of herself, while her father just rolled his eyes.

“And you say my jokes are terrible,” Zuko said, moving into position as well.

“Well buddy, that’s because they are,” her uncle retorted, grinning. 

But her father just smirked again.

“I’ll fight you over that. Winner gets to tell all the jokes they want without being mocked ever again?”

“Deal! You’re going down, Sifu Hotman,” Sokka said, turning to his niece. “By the way, have your parents told you about where your dad’s nickname-”

“ _Zuko!_ ”

They were interrupted by the arrival of Katara and Suki, breathless as they rushed towards them on the courtyard, carrying the twins in their arms.

Immediately the two men sobered up and turned to face them.

“What’s wrong?” her father asked sharply as they got closer. “Are you hurt?”

“Where’s Kyoshi and Kuruk?” her uncle added, frowning.

But both women shook their heads, looking stunned yet pleased as they finally reached them.

“Everything’s okay, our kids are still in bed,” Suki assured them, setting Kya down on the ground as Katara did the same with Hanzo. “But we have a major surprise for you.”

Her mother nodded and knelt down beside her son and youngest daughter.

“Show them,” she said with a thrill in her voice. “Show your daddy what you just showed us.”

Izumi suddenly got a sinking feeling in her stomach for some reason, but it was quickly justified by what happened next.

Her little brother, just a few days shy of four years old, held out his own small palm, and a tiny golden flame flickered to life within it before it extinguished just as quickly. 

She heard loud gasps and sounds of wonderment from various onlookers, as well as exclamations from others.

Their prince was a firebender, just like his father. 

Izumi turned to look back up in his direction, and her spirits immediately dropped when she saw the look on her father’s face.

He had watched the display in silence, but his eyes were wide and his mouth was open in an even wider grin.

Izumi had seen him give her proud smiles countless times before, especially once she’d started training with the broadswords, but she’d never seen that look before.

Zuko carefully maneuvered past his eldest daughter, absentmindedly patting her shoulder as he went by before kneeling on the ground in front of his son.

“Can you do that again?” he asked softly, his voice swelling with pride.

Hanzo nodded silently and started to hold his palm out again.

“You might need to use both hands at first,” his father advised, guiding both of his son’s together and letting go. “Now, try again. You can do it.”

The prince scrunched his face up in concentration and sure enough, his next flame burned a little brighter than before.

Her father exhaled slowly, outright beaming now, and for a second he looked like he was about to cry from happiness.

“You’re a firebender, Hanzo,” he said in a slightly hoarse voice, holding out his own palms up on either side of his son’s. “You’re just like me. See?”

At that, two much stronger golden flames grew within each of his hands, and his son’s eyes grew wide as his face too split open into a grin.

Father and son smiled at each other as the fires continued flickering within their palms before the prince’s went out, and Zuko’s followed right after.

He scooped him up in his arms, hugging his son as the onlookers clapped politely.

“I’m so proud of you,” he murmured, “so, so proud. I love you, son.”

He glanced over at his wife, who was wiping back tears.

“That’s not all,” she said with a grin as she uncorked her waterskin and called forth a handful, hovering it in midair above her palm. “Show them, Kya, what you can do too.”

Izumi watched in stunned silence as her little sister held out her hand and called over water, unsteadily waving it around in the air before it splashed to the tiles.

Her father’s eyes grew wide and he beamed over at her, too.

“Kya, you’re waterbender, just like your mommy,” he whispered, holding out his other arm, and she immediately ran to his side, wrapping her little arms around his neck as well. “I’m so proud of both of you.”

Her mother wiped away tears again as she too joined in their little group hug.

And just like before, everyone watching gasped and applauded, and there were even a few loud cheers.

Suddenly Izumi didn’t just feel sick – she wanted to cry now, too. But that seemed like the wrong thing to do when her parents and everyone else was so happy, so she just looked down at the ground and slowly backed away.

“This is amazing!” she heard someone call out. “We’ve never seen twins bending two different elements before, especially not this young! Both the prince and the princess are two young prodigies. Congratulations, your highness.”

At that, Zuko’s eyes flew open as he continued hugging his two youngest children, and it was like he was snapped out of a daze.

He thanked the onlooker before he turned his head, his eyes settling on his eldest daughter, and the expression on her face broke his heart.

Izumi was staring down at the ground a little bit away from the others, and she looked like she was about to cry.

And just like that, he was a child again, fighting back tears as he watched Azula effortlessly display her abilities like a true prodigy before their grandfather, while he could barely hold a steady flame.

He wanted to get up, to go over and hug his daughter, but his two youngest were clinging to his neck too tightly and he couldn’t get up without knocking someone over.

Zuko looked around for Katara, but she had stood up and was further away in the crowd, talking excitedly with several different people.

He couldn’t fault her for not immediately realizing how this must feel for Izumi – after all, she’d been the prodigy in her own family, while her older brother had been somewhat overlooked until he’d discovered his own self-worth.

The last thing Zuko wanted to do was draw attention to his eldest daughter’s distress, which would only cause a scene and make things even worse.

So as much as he hated himself for doing so, he caught Sokka’s attention and mouthed her name to him, nodding in Izumi’s direction.

Thankfully, his brother-in-law understood immediately and nodded curtly, maneuvering through the growing crowd to comfort his niece.

Zuko forced himself to smile as he talked and listened to his excited subjects as they continued to fawn over the prince and princess. 

It was all too obvious based on the look of self-loathing on Izumi’s face that he’d broken the one vow he always assumed he’d be able to keep.

He’d made a promise while Katara was still pregnant with her that he’d never let any of his children ever feel ashamed of being themselves, whether they were a bender or not.

It hadn’t been intentional, but his eldest daughter most certainly wouldn’t see it like that.

With a sick feeling in his stomach, Zuko suddenly realized he was no better than Ozai after all.

~*~*~

The crown princess settled down on the steps nearby, her chin propped up in her hands, staring at the ground again.

She hadn’t seen her father look over at her in concern, and she suddenly had to get away from all of the people.

Then she sensed a presence beside her, and she blinked back tears when she looked up and saw Uncle Sokka sitting nearby. He offered her a sympathetic smile and gave her a gentle fist bump.

For once, he didn’t crack a joke or try to make her laugh, and Izumi realized she had never seen him look so serious before. 

“Are you okay?” he asked kindly, glancing up and nodding at his wife, who also came to a similar conclusion and walked over to join them.

Izumi stared back down at the ground.

“I’m fine, I’m just happy for my brother and sister,” she lied, even though she knew lying was wrong.

For some reason she couldn’t bring herself to cry in front of the others, especially not when some were calling for an impromptu celebration in honor of their prince and princess’ newfound bending abilities.

She heard her uncle sigh as her aunt settled down on her other side, pulling her in for a sideways hug.

“I’m happy for them too, Izumi,” he said quietly, and she jerked her head up to look over at him in surprise.

Like her father, Uncle Sokka never used her full name unless it was something serious.

“And believe me, kiddo, I know exactly what you’re feeling right now, all too well,” he added solemnly, reaching over to pat her shoulder.

Izumi buried her face against her aunt’s side. Suki exchanged a look with her husband before she carefully stood up to lead her niece away.

From somewhere above her, she heard her uncle whisper to her aunt.

“When they get a second, I’ll let them know what happened and that you’re keeping an eye on her. Just go ahead and get her out of here.” 

~*~*~

Once the two of them were out of sight of the courtyard and the crowd, the crown princess finally broke down and let the hot tears spill down her face.

Immediately Aunt Suki scooped her up in her arms, even though she was a few months shy of seven and far too old to be held like that, and she carried her back to the privacy of her own room.

“It’s okay, Zum, it’s going to be okay,” she heard her aunt murmur reassuringly over and over.

Izumi suddenly remembered her father’s words from some time ago, telling her that bending wasn’t everything, although clearly it was.

But she never would forget the looks of pride on her parents’ faces from earlier, and she felt guilty that she couldn’t make them as proud of her as they were of her little brother and sister.

A short time later, she fell asleep in her bed, her aunt sitting on the edge and delicately stroking her hair, whispering assurances that somehow did nothing to make her feel better.


	3. An Honest Mistake

_It was an honest mistake_ , Katara told herself as she hurried through the corridors towards her eldest daughter’s bedroom.

Surely Izumi realized that they would never intentionally hurt her feelings or make her feel left out.

Right?

Katara recalled her daughter’s sixth birthday several months ago, when she’d asked if her mother would be disappointed if she turned out to be a firebender.

She had been honest when she told Izumi they’d accept her no matter what her destiny was, whether she was fated to bend water, fire, or nothing at all. 

She and Zuko loved their children unconditionally; surely her daughter knew that.

_Didn’t she?_

Even so, she supposed she should have known better when she and Suki rushed out to the courtyard earlier with the twins in their arms.

~*~*~

The day had started off no differently than any other, save for her friend and sister-in-law’s company as the two women reconnected over tea and breakfast, the twins playing nearby.

Katara always enjoyed visits from her friend, who she got to see far too little of these days. When the two of them reunited, it was almost like the old days at the beach house when two teenage girls chatted and giggled about boys, fashion, and life itself as they prepared for the end of the war.

While everyone in their small group of friends had readily accepted her relationship with Zuko (save for Aang, who eventually came around and even found a second love with Toph), she never forgot that Suki was the one she’d confided in the most back then and over the years since.

She’d never had a sister, so it was comforting to have someone to turn to, especially whenever she secretly expressed doubts whether a waterbender would be accepted as the girlfriend and eventual wife of the new Fire Lord.

Somehow Suki always knew exactly what to say, whether it was in regards to boys or snooty nobles.

And this morning, they’d been completely enthralled in another lengthy conversation when it happened.

Hanzo had been mildly fussy, nothing out of the ordinary, and at some point while playing with his sister he’d gotten mad about one thing or another. He yelled out something his mother couldn’t quite catch and stomped his foot.

That was when she and Suki’s eyes widened as they heard the unmistakable _whoosh_ of a fire being ignited.

Their heads whipped around to see the prince standing with his hands outstretched, staring dumbfounded at the tiny flames dancing in his palms before they died down just as quickly.

Katara covered her mouth in excitement, blinking back tears of joy as Suki gasped. While she’d always secretly hoped for a waterbender, she was pleased that their eldest son would follow in his father’s footsteps.

Zuko would be absolutely _overjoyed_ , and she couldn’t wait to see his face beaming with pride.

It would also certainly make things easier for their little family, as there had been constant gossip from the nobles that started back when she’d been pregnant with Izumi.

Some had wondered what would happen if the unborn crown prince or princess would be a nonbender or even worse, they whispered, a waterbender.

The thought had occurred to the Fire Lord and Lady long before she actually became pregnant, and both had eventually decided it ultimately shouldn’t matter, even though they knew they’d face plenty of opposition. 

But she was secretly, selfishly relieved on some level that Izumi hadn’t taken after her in the end, although she still wished her daughter could have at least inherited her father’s abilities. 

It was unusual, but she and Zuko knew the royal court would accept a nonbender as Fire Lord long before they’d recognize a waterbender as their leader, no matter how much they tried to hide behind their forced polite smiles. 

They’d come to terms with Katara as Fire Lady, at the very least viewing it as a political union, but she knew they would never accept her as regent if something incapacitated her husband.

Now that she’d given birth to both a neutral heir and a firebender, perhaps the court would finally be satisfied and stop gossiping quite so much, which would give her husband a peace of mind as well.

~*~*~

But she was shaken from her musings when she realized that Hanzo had created another flame, unintentionally setting one of his toys on fire. He dropped it in shock and started crying. 

She called for Suki to move the children to safety as she uncorked her waterskin and immediately doused the fire.

Then she scooped up her still-wailing son and gave him a hug, even though the carpet was still soaked. She had more important matters to attend to.

“Shh, Hanzo, it’s okay, we’ll get you another toy,” she murmured, bouncing him lightly. “Do you know what just happened?”

He shook his head as he settled down, and she bended away the tears leftover on his face, to his amazement.

“You’re a firebender, just like your daddy!” she said, kissing his cheek while Kya tugged at her skirt. “He’s going to be so happy when he sees. Want to go show him?”

She glanced down at her youngest daughter, who was still desperately trying to get her attention now as well.

“What is it, sweetie?” she asked, reaching down to stroke her hair, brown and curly just like her own.

“Watch Mommy!” Kya said proudly. “Look what I can do.”

Then to the amazement of her mother and aunt, the youngest princess waved her hand over the soaked carpet and drew water upwards towards her palm. She couldn’t control it for long before she dropped it, but it was long enough.

Her daughter was a waterbender, just like her.

Katara choked back a sob and knelt down to hug Kya as well. She was aware that Suki was nearby overhead, saying something that she wasn’t actually paying attention to.

All she cared about at that particular moment was hugging her two youngest children in her arms.

“Mommy, are you sad?” Hanzo asked, his golden eyes staring up at her.

Eyes so much like his big sister’s and so much like his father’s, too. She let out a chuckle and gently squeezed them both.

“No, sweetie,” she said, planting kisses on each of their cheeks. “Mommy is very, very happy. I’m so proud of both of you.”

Katara looked up at Suki, tears of excitement openly streaming down her face. Her friend just beamed down at them before she too knelt to be on their level.

“Dry your eyes, Fire Lady,” she teased lightly, reaching out and helping her stand. “You can’t show them off to your husband and your subjects crying like that, now can you?”

“He’ll understand,” Katara replied with a grin, carefully letting go of Kya and passing her off to Suki. “And I really don’t care what the others think.”

She debated internally for a moment which twin she wanted to carry, but she ultimately decided on her son. That way she could show off Hanzo’s firebending abilities first, at least in front of the palace.

Zuko would be positively ecstatic to learn about both of his children’s bending capabilities, but for the sake of theatrics she thought that firebending should take precedence this one time.

Katara beamed down at her son as he wriggled around in her arms. “Ready to go give your daddy the surprise of his life?”

He nodded excitedly, and the two women set out immediately for the courtyard. 

It didn’t even occur to Katara as she rushed down the corridors that her eldest daughter might not be as excited to learn about her siblings’ newfound abilities as everyone else.

When she finally did have that epiphany, however, it was far too late.

~*~*~

“Where’s Izumi?” she found herself asking no one in particular, her head whipping around as she scanned the crowd of people.

She’d briefly noticed her daughter standing near her husband and brother when she and Suki rushed out to greet them earlier, but she’d promptly gotten sidetracked as she delivered the big news.

Now, she felt a rush of fear and sudden sickness in her gut. What kind of mother forgot about her own child, much less her firstborn?

But there was no reason to panic just yet, she reasoned. There were plenty of guards and witnesses around; surely she was just blocked from her sight… she just couldn’t see her yet…

Katara finally maneuvered through the crowd back to her husband’s side, who was still holding a twin in each arm.

“Excuse me,” she said apologetically with a polite smile, pulling him away from a conversation with a noble who’d never been particularly fond of her to begin with.

Zuko nodded in the direction of the mildly offended nobleman who he’d never really cared for, to be honest, before he turned his full attention towards his wife.

He frowned down lightly at her when he saw the fear in her eyes.

“Have you seen Izumi?” she whispered, relieved when he nodded. “Where is she? I feel terrible, I didn’t even think-”

“Me either,” he said in a low voice, hoping no one nearby was listening in as he shifted his hold on Kya. “I realized it too late to do anything about it, though, at least without embarrassing her in front of everyone, so I sent Sokka to go keep an eye on her.”

Well, if anyone would understand what Izumi was going through, it would be her brother, so Katara nodded and forced a smile. 

But still… It should have been one of her parents who comforted her.

Katara saw in her husband’s eyes that he too was having similar thoughts.

“There you are!” 

They whipped their heads around then and saw that Sokka was delicately making his way through the crowd towards them now, but without their daughter in tow.

“Congratulations you two!” he said cheerfully when he got closer.

However, both knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t entirely happy at the moment, although he wasn’t the type to make a scene in front of all these people. They exchanged nervous looks before turning back to him.

Sokka wrapped his arms around both of their necks to give them a joint hug, which gave him the perfect cover to lean in and explain to them what happened to Izumi.

Her parents pulled back instantly, unable to hide the looks of distraught upon both of their faces.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Zuko said, swallowing and suddenly looking as guilty as the time he’d hesitated outside of his uncle’s tent the night before their reunion.

But Katara shook her head.

“This was all my fault, I didn’t even think,” she said softly. “Besides, you need to stay out here and talk to everyone. They won’t notice if I step away for a while.”

She stood on her tiptoes to give her husband a quick kiss before slipping away and disappearing into the crowd. 

Zuko could only stare after her helplessly, vaguely aware that Sokka was now patting his shoulder reassuringly.

“Look, buddy, it was an honest mistake,” his brother-in-law was saying softly. “Izumi’s upset, but she knows you both love her and are proud of her. You just messed up, which happens when you’re a parent. No one’s perfect, but as long as you talk it over with her later, it should be okay.”

He nodded in silence, hoping his friend was right.

~*~*~

When Izumi woke up, she realized that she hadn’t been asleep for long, as the sun still wasn’t that high in the sky.

She also realized she wasn’t alone. The princess blinked her eyes groggily as her mother’s form came into focus, sitting at her bedside.

Katara sighed when she noticed her daughter was awake and gave her the most comforting smile she could muster up.

“Hi sweetie,” she whispered, reaching out and stroking her hair. “How are you feeling?”

For the first time in her life, Izumi suddenly felt a hint of resentment towards her parents, but she quickly suppressed it.

Instead, she lied for the second time that morning.

“I’m fine, Mom,” she said in a voice she hoped sounded unaffected.

Her mother blinked at Izumi in surprise but didn’t address her new title. She’d never called her that before – she’d always referred to her as “Mommy,” up until now.

Katara hoped that wasn’t connected to what happened earlier, but she had a bad feeling it was. A new wave of guilt washed over her, and her apologies came spilling out.

“Izumi, I am so, so sorry for what happened earlier,” she said quietly. “Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki told me exactly what happened, and your father and I feel absolutely terrible. I promise you, we never meant to hurt your feelings. We love you and we’re so proud you’re our daughter.”

She held out her arms, and to her relief Izumi filled them, albeit after a moment of hesitation. For a horrible second Katara was afraid she would refuse, but thankfully she didn’t.

So she held her daughter close, stroking her hair and slowly rocking her back and forth like she had when she’d been a baby.

When she felt her shoulder grow damp, Katara just gave her a few gentle squeezes.

“I know, sweetie,” she whispered. “I know. It’s not fair.”

But her mother didn’t actually _know_ , did she, the princess thought with a hint of bitterness, and neither did her father, for that matter.

Izumi remembered him talking about how he got picked on as a child, but at least he’d actually _been_ a bender, unlike her.

Even if his bending had been terrible, at least he’d had it to begin with and could improve. Hers was simply nonexistent.

That reminded her…

“Where’s Dad?” she asked when she could talk again without crying. 

Katara closed her eyes for a moment before she pulled back and locked eyes with her daughter. It definitely wasn’t a coincidence then, she thought sadly. Izumi had always referred to him as “Daddy” before today.

But she chose not to call attention to that just now, either.

“He’s busy at the moment, but he wanted to be here, too,” she said simply. “He also feels awful about what happened, and as soon as he’s able, he’ll come talk to you, too.”

On some level, Izumi knew that her father’s responsibilities as Fire Lord took precedence most of the time. Her parents had explained that to her many times before, and they’d also assured her that no matter how busy either of them were, they would still always make time for her.

But she felt that bitterness once more, and she looked away in silence.

Katara recognized that look all too well. It was the same one she’d worn back when she’d been angry at her own father for leaving them behind to fight in the war, even though she understood why he’d done it.

She sighed and held her daughter even closer.

“Sweetie, your father loves and cares about you more than anything in this world,” she whispered. “You know that, don’t you?”

Her daughter nodded, still looking away, but it was clear she wasn’t listening.

Katara sighed once more and stroked her hair away from her face.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Izumi shook her head, looking down. She was thankful that her mother (and by extension, her father) cared that they had hurt her feelings, but she still felt guilty on some level. They had just been _so_ happy earlier when they saw her brother and sister bending.

It felt wrong to make them feel sad about it. 

So she just returned her mother’s hug and said nothing.

“Well, if you ever want to talk about it, your father and I are both here to listen,” Katara murmured, kissing her daughter’s cheek. “I promise you, Zum. We both love you so, so much, sweetie.”

Izumi nodded again and rested her head on her mother’s shoulder.

After several minutes Katara spoke again.

“Do you want to get up now, or do you want to rest a little longer?”

Instead of answering, the princess just laid back down on her bed and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders and closed her eyes. She felt her mother lean over and kiss her head, stroking her hair.

Izumi hesitated for a moment before she spoke, her eyes still squeezed shut.

“Mom? Can I be alone?”

She heard her mother inhale sharply, but she didn't protest. Then she felt her mother lean over her again, kissing her cheek.

“Of course, sweetie,” Katara whispered. “Do you want to see your father in a little while?”

Her heart broke when Izumi shook her head, still not opening her eyes. She bit her lip and looked away as she continued stroking her daughter’s hair.

“I’m here for you if you need me, sweetie,” she said eventually. “We both are. All you have to do is ask.”

Izumi nodded and turned over at that, facing away from her.

Her mother hesitated a few minutes more before she finally stood up and quietly left.

Only once the door closed behind her did mother and daughter finally allow their tears to fall.

~*~*~

Izumi awoke some time later to the rumbling of her stomach and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

Based on the position of the sun in the sky, it must have been almost noon.

She realized she never actually had gotten around to eating breakfast that morning, and she’d never missed a meal before, save for the few times she’d been sick and couldn't keep anything down. 

The princess also realized she had company again, but at least she was happy about this visitor, who was curled up at the foot of her bed.

Druk woke up when he heard her stirring, his red eyes blinking as he yawned lazily, exhaling a puff of steam. He licked her cheek like he always did - for comfort whenever she was sad or scared, and for affection whenever her mood was happy.

She grinned and scratched under his chin and he made a purring sound – well, what she and her family always interpreted as purring, anyways. It was hard to tell with dragons, after all.

Then it occurred to her that someone had to have let him in while she'd been asleep – Druk was a clever dragon, but even he couldn’t open doors with handles by himself, not with those claws.

Izumi glanced around but didn’t see anyone else in her room, but she had a good idea who it was.

She quietly climbed out of bed and changed out of her sparring clothes into something more appropriate to face the day. Earlier that morning, she’d been too upset to think of changing back into her pajamas when Aunt Suki hurried her back to her room.

But now, she was a completely different person, she decided. So what if her younger siblings were special with their bending that she’d only dreamed of having and wanted for all of her life?

She was the _crown princess_ , and crown princesses didn’t wallow around and cry, she thought haughtily. They acted like grownups, hence why she also decided to shorten her parents’ nicknames.

Only babies still said “mommy” or “daddy.”

Izumi took a deep breath and swung open her bedroom door – and just barely dodged her father, who apparently had been leaning against it as he stumbled backwards into the room, yelping in surprise, sounding very undignified for a Fire Lord.

~*~*~

Even though she was all grown up now, the princess let out a shocked squeal as well.

Her father quickly regained his footing, though, and when he turned to face her, he looked genuinely relieved to see her.

“There’s my girl!” he said, kneeling down to her level and holding out his arms. “I was so worried about you.”

Just like with her mother, she hesitated for a moment before she filled them and returned the embrace.

Katara had warned him that their daughter wasn’t quite ready to see either of them yet, but thankfully she seemed to have changed her mind, he thought in relief.

He hugged her tightly for a few minutes before he spoke.

“Izumi, I’m so, so sorry,” he said quietly. “I realize I hurt your feelings earlier, and that was not my intent. I’m sorry that I made you feel bad. I love you more than my own life, and I would do anything for you. Do you understand?”

He pulled back and smiled slightly when she nodded.

“It’s okay, Dad,” she said calmly, and he closed his eyes for a moment.

Katara had also given him a heads up about that as well, but it still made him sad on some level. So he just put on his most disarming smile and raised his eyebrow instead.

“Since when do you call me that?” he asked lightly. “Does it take too long to say both syllables?”

He noted with some amusement that she smoothed down the front of her shirt and drew herself up to her full height (which was still barely past his waist, even on her tiptoes) to appear more imposing.

“No sir,” she said coolly. “But I’ve realized that I acted childish earlier, and I’m not going to be a child anymore. I’m all grown up now.”

Her father ducked his head, stifling a smirk and a chuckle. If she saw him laughing, that would just make her mad. _Like mother, like daughter_ , he thought.

Finally he looked back up at her with a barely suppressed grin.

“Is that so?” he asked seriously, and she nodded. “So even though you’re still six years old-”

“Six-and-a-half, _Dad_.”

“My apologies,” he replied without missing a beat. “You’re six-and-a-half, and you’ve already decided that you’re a grownup? What brought you to that decision?”

She folded her arms.

“Because I’m a _princess_ , and princesses _don’t_ cry.”

“Who told you that?”

“No one. But grownups don’t cry.’ 

Zuko gave her a lopsided smile.

“Well, I cry every now and then,” he said gently, smoothing back a strand of her slightly messy black hair away from her eyes.

As he expected, she looked at him in disbelief.

“You do?” she asked, tilting her head.

He nodded.

“Never in front of other people, but I do cry sometimes, Zum,” he replied. “You know, it’s okay to let it all out, especially when you’re upset. It can even make you feel better.”

His daughter’s eyes narrowed and she frowned slightly. If Katara were here, she’d undoubtedly call her Zuko Junior based on that look alone, he thought.

He continued.

“For example, I cried happy tears when I found out your mother was pregnant with you and right after you were born,” he said. “And there have also been times I’ve been so angry or sad that the only way I’ve felt better is by crying.”

She looked at him curiously now, raising her eyebrow. Now _that_ was one of Katara’s facial expressions if he ever saw one.

“Like when?” she asked.

Immediately he thought back to the time in his teens when he’d screamed at the heavens on the mountaintop, standing alone in the pouring rain, but he decided not to mention it since it was related to bending.

There was also too much backstory for that particular tale, too. One day he might tell her all about that, but not today. So he settled on another. 

“Well, there was one time right after your mom and I started dating that I got into a big argument with your Uncle Aang,” he said, frowning at the memory. “He and I said some pretty bad things to each other, and at the end I stormed off by myself and ended up crying while your mom comforted me.”

He paused, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“By the way, your mom is the best at comforting people when they’re sad and knowing exactly what to say,” he said. “She feels absolutely horrible about what happened earlier today, too, and she’s nearly beside herself. Give her a hug the next time you see her, okay?”

She nodded, glancing down for a moment.

“Dad? Why did you get into a fight with Uncle Aang back then?”

His lips twitched.

“It’s a long story, and it’s all in the past now,” he said simply. “But we worked it all out and apologized to each other, and we’ve been best friends ever since.” 

He looked down briefly and exhaled a tiny wisp of smoke in a way that reminded her of Druk.

“Then I cried again a little earlier today, when it was just your mom and I alone, because I realized I let you down when you needed me the most,” he said. “Your mom cried, too. Izumi, please believe me when I say we never meant to hurt you or make you feel bad. We love you more than life itself.”

She nodded, feeling sad yet happy for some reason, and she gave her father another long hug. He held her tightly in his warm arms, resting his cheek against her hair.

“Don’t be too quick to grow up either, Zum,” he added, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “You only get to be a child once, and it goes by way too quickly sometimes.”

He sighed, giving her a gentle squeeze.

“I stopped being a child at thirteen,” he said quietly. “I want your childhood to last a little longer, if at all possible.”

~*~*~

Their hug was soon interrupted by Druk, who decided to make his presence known by letting out a lazy roar and a few flames in the process.

Without looking around, Zuko absentmindedly waved his hand in the dragon’s direction and snuffed them out before anything caught on fire. 

“You hungry, Zum?” he asked, smiling down at his daughter. “I think you skipped breakfast, and I heard a rumor that the cooks are making your favorite noodles for lunch today.”

She grinned back up at her father, kissing his cheek. He pulled her in for one last hug.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered, standing up with her in his arms.

However, she immediately wriggled back down to the ground.

“I’m still a grownup, Dad,” she said, resting her hands on her hips. “And grownups don’t get carried.”

 _Definitely_ a Katara mannerism, he thought. Still, he smiled down at her ruefully.

“I guess you’re right,” he conceded, nodding. “Well then, let’s go get lunch.”

He summoned Druk, who hopped off of Izumi’s bed and fell in line beside them as they walked through the sunlit hallways.

Zuko glanced down at his daughter, knowing that even though she proclaimed to be all grown up now, the day that became true would soon be here before he knew it.

To his surprise and delight, she reached up and held his hand as they walked. Apparently, grownups weren’t carried but they still held hands with their fathers, he thought with a smile of relief.

“By the way, what would you like me to tell the others when we see them?” he asked after a few minutes. “Several people were asking about you after they realized you were missing, and they were worried about you.”

She thought about this for a second. Izumi wasn’t quite ready for everyone else to know just how upset and childish she’d been, but it almost felt wrong to lie, too.

“Can we just tell them I was sick?” she asked, and he nodded solemnly.

“We absolutely can,” he said in his most exaggerated authoritative voice, which always made her giggle. “And I’m the Fire Lord, so no one is allowed to question it.”

He gave his daughter a playful wink.

“Besides, with your old man as the ruler of the entire nation, it’s not like anyone else can tell me what to do or boss me around…”

Then he stopped for a second and shrugged his shoulders as he grinned back down at her, amending his previous statement to something slightly more accurate.

“ _…except_ for your mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dadko and Momtara would've made the best parenting team, am I right? 
> 
> Nothing too exciting happens in this chapter, mainly family fluff and feels, but I wanted it to end on a positive note. The previous two chapter endings have been sad, and no one's going to want to keep reading this if all I do is depress them, you know? 
> 
> I'm still writing by the seat of my pants on this fic, but her seventh birthday and the ten-year anniversary of the war ending are coming up in the next few months in-story, so those should be exciting. Not to mention, shortly after her seventh birthday she starts attending the Royal Fire Academy for Girls and sometime after *that* is when all of the family's history comes out. Hoo, boy. 
> 
> I also got a little ahead of myself and have a future chapter almost completed, but I've still got to write at least one or two more before I post it, otherwise it all won't make sense. Le sigh. (So the day you get two chapters at once or within a day of each other, that's why.) 
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who's left kudos and comments so far! :) They're very much appreciated.


	4. Sisters and Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's baaack! I'm reviving this fic from the dead like I didn't just abandon it for two months - but I had a legitimate reason. Check the notes at the end for more details.

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully.

Thankfully, no one made too much of a fuss about Izumi’s disappearance earlier, although she did receive a few well wishes from some staff who were happy to hear that she was feeling better.

She took after both of her parents in many ways, but if there was one area where she truly favored her father, it was that the crown princess could not stand anyone’s pity.

That evening after their children had been tucked into bed, the Fire Lord, his wife, and his in-laws found themselves settled comfortably in the cushy couches of his private office.

He offered a bottle of the Fire Nation’s finest whiskey to his brother-in-law, who eagerly held out his empty glass.

“Lot of great memories in this room, huh,” Sokka reminisced while swirling his cup around before taking a sip. “Can you believe it’s been almost ten years since the war ended and we found you sitting on that bench outside, waiting on Dad to give you and Katara his blessing?”

Zuko shook his head and smiled wistfully.

“Seems like only yesterday,” he agreed, taking a sip himself.

Suki suddenly smirked and her eyes narrowed deviously as she swallowed some of the Earth Kingdom’s almond-peach flavored liquor.

“Did you ever tell Katara how freaked out and nervous you were when we found you out there that day?” she asked in a tone of voice that was far too innocent.

The Fire Lord’s cheeks flushed for reasons unrelated to the alcohol as his wife looked at him in amusement.

“No, he never did!” she exclaimed. “I noticed that his topknot had been taken down and restyled once he walked back in and he seemed on edge, but then he quickly pulled himself together.”

Her brother and Suki snickered.

“Oh sis, you should have seen the poor guy-”

“I’m sitting right here, buddy.”

But Sokka just waved his hand, slightly feeling the whiskey’s effects, as he continued undeterred.

“As I was saying, the four of us rounded the corner and right out there on that very bench sat Sifu Hotman, looking more terrified than I’ve ever seen him,” he said, gesturing towards his entirely unamused brother-in-law. “He was more scared than a… what’s the phrase I’m looking for? I dunno, but I personally thought he was going to be sick.”

There was a chorus of _awws_ from the two women (and Sokka too, just to rub it in) as Zuko rolled his eyes.

“Seriously, keep this up and you’re going to find yourself in a swordfight with your tail handed to you on the finest silver platter in the palace,” he threatened.

His friend just snorted. “Dream on, buddy. Besides, it’s sword _bending_.”

“ _There’s. No. Such. Thing_ ,” the Fire Lord gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Sure, sure,” Sokka replied, waving his hand dismissively in his direction. “Anyways, his hair was a complete mess because he kept running his hands through it, you know how he always does when he’s really anxious, and I finally had to put a stop to it before he pulled it all out.”

Katara put her hand over her heart and made an exaggerated sound of sympathy, much to her husband’s chagrin.

“Aw, that’s so sweet!” she proclaimed as he rolled his eyes again and scowled.

“Ten years – we almost made it ten years without bringing that up,” he grumbled, folding his arms and glaring at them all.

But his scowl lifted once his wife leaned over and kissed his cheek before settling down again beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head, although he kept his eyes narrowed at his traitorous in-laws, who just snickered even harder.

“Trust me though, buddy,” Sokka said with a wink. “Dad really appreciated it, because if you had been any less freaked out in asking for his blessing, he might have said no.”

“And if he had, well, then I would have just married you anyway,” Katara declared, snuggling up closer against her husband.

He glanced down at her and smiled faintly.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” he murmured, “that you’d have to make a choice like that. I didn’t want you to choose between me and your family.”

Katara grinned up at her husband and kissed his cheek again.

“For what it’s worth, I would’ve happily dumped Katara off on your doorstep, without a second thought,” Sokka teased. “At least she’s your problem now – hey! Hey! Cut it out!”

He ducked and dodged as the whiskey in his glass floated upwards and threatened to splash him in the face, while Katara wiggled her fingers around with an evil smirk.

“Seriously, Katara, stop it!” he whined as his wife and brother-in-law burst into snickers. “Will you two quit it and help me out over here?”

He found no sympathy, at least from his best friend.

“Sorry, you’re on your own, buddy,” Zuko said, wearing a wicked grin that matched his wife’s.

Suki eventually took pity on her husband’s pathetic whimpering and patted her sister-in-law on the shoulder, even as she chuckled.

“Alright, children, time to behave,” she laughed.

Katara obliged and bended his drink back into his cup… although a minute later, she made sure a few drops splashed on her brother when he cautiously took a sip, earning her a glare and another round of snickering from the others. 

She then raised her own glass, lightly tapping against it with the tips of her fingernails.

“A toast,” she giggled, leaning against her husband, “to Zuko and Suki, who knew exactly what they were getting into but still married the two of us anyways. Bless ‘em.” 

“Here, here!” the others chorused as they downed their drinks.

~*~*~

Towards the end of the evening, Sokka leaned back in his seat and swirled the remains of the whiskey around in his glass.

“Sooo,” he drawled, “both of the twins can bend. You guys are about to have your hands full.”

Suki nodded and helped herself to another sip of her husband’s drink.

“That’s incredible that they’ll both take after you,” she added. “I know you two are proud.”

The Fire Lord and his wife exchanged a smile and agreed, although Zuko’s seemed more strained. Katara noticed, furrowing her brows as she reached out to hold his hand.

He sighed and wiped his face with his free hand, turning to face the others.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about earlier today,” he finally said quietly, letting out a sigh of resignation. “Sokka, Suki… just how upset was Izumi earlier? How badly did she take it?”

The two in question exchanged glances.

“Way to kill the mood, Sifu Hotman,” Suki deadpanned.

“Well, you both saw her afterwards,” Sokka said with a shrug. “She wasn’t happy, obviously, but I don’t think you’ve traumatized your daughter for life. You both apologized, and as long as you don’t make her feel left out or less important, she should be okay. Besides, right after you realized she wasn’t a bender a few months ago, you immediately started teaching her how to fight with broadswords, so she’ll have a special skill that she learned directly from her dad.”

Zuko didn’t look entirely convinced, though, so Sokka continued.

“Look, a lot of people aren’t benders even though their siblings are, and they’ve all turned out fine – look at me, for example! Sure, it’s no fun at times, but once she figures out what she’s good at she’ll be just fine. It’s a part of life.”

Katara gave her brother a sympathetic look, which he brushed off with a lopsided smile.

“I may not be able to play with magic water like my little sis here, but remember those days when I trained under Master Piandao, and you guys were beside yourselves because you didn’t know what to do without me?”

The siblings grinned at the memory.

“Bending isn’t everything,” Katara said softly as the others nodded. “We would have been lost without you, Sokka, and Suki has saved our skins more times than I can count.”

Her brother nodded and smiled.

“Alright, we’re getting too mushy here,” he declared, turning to face Zuko, who was staring at the floor, still looking rather glum. “Dude, are you okay?”

Zuko sighed and shook his head.

“I still can’t get over the look on Izumi’s face from earlier,” he said quietly. “She just looked so… _broken_ … when everyone was celebrating her siblings and completely ignoring her. She must have thought that no one cared about her or that she didn’t matter.”

The other three exchanged a look of understanding.

“Are you speaking from experience?” Suki asked kindly.

Katara’s grip on his hand tightened gently when he nodded. He had told them before how his father always berated him for being weaker than his little sister, and how after his mother disappeared, it just got worse...

~*~*~

_“When you were born, we weren’t sure if you were a bender at all,” his father had snapped at him once. “You didn’t have that spark in your eyes. I planned to cast you from the palace. How embarrassing for a prince of the Fire Nation to have a nonbender as his firstborn.”_

_His mother had been appropriately horrified at these words, while the young crown prince just sat there, stunned with a sick feeling in his stomach as his father continued._

_“Lucky for you, your mother and the Fire Sages pleaded with me to give you a chance. Azula, on the other hand, never needed that kind of luck. She was born lucky. You were lucky to be born.”_

_At that, his mother interrupted and scolded her husband, not that he was particularly abashed. Instead, he ignored them both as his son sank lower into his seat, fighting back tears while his sister gloated._

~*~*~

All these years later, and he could remember every single word as clearly as if they had been uttered just minutes ago.

“It’s just…” Zuko began before sighing again. “I promised myself that I would never do that to any of our children or make them feel ashamed of who they are… not like Ozai did. Then today, I broke that promise when I made Izumi feel bad about herself – ”

“Zuko, _no_ ,” Katara said firmly yet kindly. “I think you know deep down that you’re not your father. From what you’ve told me and the very few times I’ve had the displeasure of interacting with him, I don’t believe he’s ever felt bad for how he’s treated you… and the fact that you’re here worrying about all of your children’s happiness is proof that you’re nothing like him.”

“Seriously, Zuko,” Sokka added. “You’re not your father. You’re ten times… no, a hundred times the man he is. I’m not just saying that because you’re my friend, either. You’ve proved time and time again that you’re a good man.”

Katara and Suki agreed, but the Fire Lord still seemed lost in memories of years long ago that he hoped to one day forget altogether.

~*~*~

The next morning, Izumi rose with the sun as she did every day and followed her lady-in-waiting to the meditation room like she always did. 

Except today when she walked in, she saw her father had started without her, and he wasn’t alone.

Hanzo sat with his legs folded, one hand cupping the other with his palms facing up as his thumbs connected, resembling a flame. He kept one eye squinted open to make sure he was copying his father correctly.

That in itself didn’t surprise Izumi – she had almost been expecting his presence this morning, and from this point onwards, in fact. But her eyes narrowed when she realized her brother was sitting in _her_ place on _her_ mat.

Whatever goodwill she had towards her siblings and their bending capabilities, especially Hanzo, immediately went out of the window. However she was a grownup now, as she so proudly told her father yesterday, and grownups didn’t throw temper tantrums.

“Good morning, Zum,” her father said softly, not opening his eyes.

Hanzo repeated the welcome, both eyes flying open as he flashed her a wide grin. Normally she thought his smiles were adorable, but at the moment she was suddenly tempted to push him off of the mat altogether and resume her rightful place.

Instead she grumpily bid them good morning as well, turning her head side to side to look for another mat. She missed her father’s eye peek open in her direction for just a moment, frowning slightly at her tone but ultimately choosing not to draw attention to it.

She found one and settled down on the floor beside her brother and tried to sync her breathing up in time with theirs. In no time at all she succeeded, but it was hard to clear her mind – this mat was somehow both flatter and lumpier than hers, and she found herself wriggling around.

A minute later, she felt her brother elbowing her gently.

“You’re s’posed to be still,” he whispered.

“You’re not supposed to talk,” she hissed, elbowing him back.

“Neither of you are doing what you’re supposed to this morning,” the Fire Lord deadpanned, his eyes still closed. “Settle down and be quiet, you two.”

Both of them sat straight up and resumed the proper form, although Hanzo glanced her way and stuck out his tongue. Even though she should have been beneath such childish actions at the mature age of six-and-a-half years old, Izumi stuck hers out too.

“Cut it out,” their father chided lightly.

They looked at each other incredulously before looking back at him.

“Are you peeking?” Hanzo asked, tilting his head slightly. “Your eyes are s’posed to be closed, Daddy.”

His children were being far too distracting that morning, and Zuko was tempted to just call it quits and skip right ahead to practicing katas in the courtyard instead.

“No, I’m just that good,” he lied, the corner of his lip twitching upwards. “When you get to be my age, you become very wise and you can see things with your eyes closed. If you both relax and behave yourselves, you too might be able to achieve this heightened level of awareness.”

Izumi closed her eyes again but wiggled on the mat in spite of herself, and Hanzo elbowed her once more. So she did what any wise older sister would do and stuck her tongue out in her brother’s direction again, and he promptly returned the gesture.

“I _saw_ that – oh for Agni’s sake,” their father grumbled, annoyed that he’d given himself away.

He usually opened his eyes once or twice during meditation, but until now he’d never been caught. Zuko clapped his palm to his forehead and dragged it down his face, raising his eyebrow at his son and eldest daughter, who grinned at him sheepishly.

“Zum, I know you’re not used to having a third wheel, but your brother is here to stay,” he chided, sitting forward and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. “Han, I know it’s difficult right now for you, but meditation is supposed to be quiet time. It’s an adjustment for all of us, but you two will have to learn to get along. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” they replied politely, nodding.

“Good,” he said, giving them his best encouraging smile. “Now, let’s try to meditate in silence for ten more minutes, and then we can go out to the courtyard and train. Deal?”

They nodded again, and he felt optimistic in spite of himself. Maybe there was hope for them getting along, after all.

Besides, how difficult could it be for his children to behave themselves for ten minutes?

**_Forty-five minutes later…_ **

“This is hopeless,” Zuko mumbled under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose and scrunching his eyes closed as yet _another_ argument broke out between the royal siblings.

He wasn’t even sure what started it this time – something about Hanzo trying to create a flame to show off and Izumi getting mad at him, Agni only knew.

When he’d been their age he remembered the childish squabbles he’d had with Azula (at least before their sibling rivalry turned darker), so he knew fundamentally that this was no different. 

But _still_.

He was thankful that he had learned to be more patient over the years, because while he rarely raised his voice at his children, he was incredibly close to doing so now.

Zuko tried calling them to attention one more time before he gave up. He exhaled loudly, causing all of the candles to blaze ferociously for a few moments, completely illuminating the entire room.

That got their attention, and both immediately silenced themselves and whipped their heads around to face him, hands folded in their laps respectfully.

He raised his eyebrow at them and frowned.

“Clearly, this isn’t working,” he sighed before resting his forehead on the heel of his palm. “Okay. So let’s call it quits, and we’ll try again tomorrow, because right now we’re just wasting time. Agreed?”

They nodded, and he sighed.

“You two get a pass today, just because it’s so late, but from now on I want you both to behave, especially during meditation. It’s an essential part of my day, and I think it should be part of yours, too, whether you’re a warrior or bender or something else entirely. Now, let’s go.”

~*~*~ 

He wasn’t surprised to see Sokka waiting for them by the time they finally made it out to the training grounds, lounging sprawled out on the steps and yawning loudly.

“Took ya long enough,” his brother-in-law said, standing up and stretching his arms out. “So much for rising with the sun.”

Zuko just rolled his eyes.

“Sorry about that,” he grumbled. “We had a difficult time behaving this morning and focusing during meditation, didn’t we?”

His children had the grace to look down for a moment, embarrassed. Sokka just grinned and knelt down to be eye level with them. 

“Did you two cause trouble?” he asked, giving them each a conspiratorial wink. “Not _my_ innocent niece and nephew. They’re precious little gifts from the spirits and I refuse to believe a word of blasphemy against them.”

The Fire Lord raised his eyebrow.

“Not helping, buddy.”

“Just fulfilling my obligation as their favorite uncle to spoil them absolutely rotten.”

“You’re their _only_ uncle.”

Zuko resisted the urge to pull from Azula’s playbook and call him a _dum-dum_ as well, but just barely.

“What about Uncle Aang?” Izumi spoke up, and Hanzo nodded.

“Ha!” her uncle retorted. “See how brilliant my niece and nephew are? So smart, just like their favorite Uncle Sokka.”

At that he wrapped his arms around each of their shoulders and gave his best pouty face up his brother-in-law, who looked entirely unamused.

“Hey, look pitiful you two,” he whispered, and immediately three pairs of sad puppy eyes were staring up at an entirely unamused Fire Lord. “Come on, buddy, how can you be mad at these adorable faces?”

“Theirs are adorable, yours is just hideous,” Zuko retorted as his brother-in-law squawked in indignation.

He pinched the bridge of his nose again and sighed tiredly.

“I’m not _mad_ , I’m just not entirely happy at the moment.”

Sokka stood up and chuckled, clapping his friend’s shoulder.

“Kids, did you know that your dad used to be way grumpier back when I met him?” he asked, adopting his grouchiest voice. “Your dad once even said, and I quote, ‘ _I’m never happy_.’”

His children giggled at that, and Zuko rolled his eyes.

“But then he met me, and I taught your dad how to loosen up and have a good time,” Sokka said, elbowing his ribs. “Isn’t that right, Sifu Hotman?”

Zuko suddenly grinned.

“Actually, that was more of your sister’s doing,” he retorted with a devilish smile, reveling in his friend’s immediate wince.

Izumi and Hanzo exchanged a confused glance as their uncle’s face turned green and he whined something about sharing too much information, all while their father continued smirking.

“You know, just for that, I’ll have to challenge you to a duel,” Sokka declared, unsheathing his sword.

“Finally,” Zuko agreed, also unsheathing his broadswords. “I thought you were going to waste the whole day away being annoying.”

“I would never,” his brother-in-law said in an air of mock offense. “By the way, what was the stipulation from yesterday morning that we agreed on? Winner does what now?

“Beats me,” Zuko shrugged, moving into position. “You ready?”

“Watch and learn, kids,” Sokka said in a grand voice, giving his niece and nephew a wide grin before he joined Zuko out on the training grounds. “Your dad is about to go down.”

Their father then said something in a low voice that they couldn’t quite make out from where they were standing, but their uncle grimaced once more when he heard it.

“Ohh, I _hate_ you so much right now,” Sokka groaned. “I did _not_ need to know that. I’m going to have nightmares.”

He then made a gagging noise and shook his head rapidly, as if trying to knock a mental image away. Then Sokka let out a yell and ran towards his friend, who easily sidestepped and tripped him, knocking away his sword so he wouldn’t fall on it.

“See kids? That’s why you should always meditate every day,” Zuko called out to the sidelines. “Otherwise you get flustered and make yourself an easy target like this amateur right here.”

Sokka stood up again and put his hand on his hip, scowling.

“You know, you talk a big game now, but what would Katara say if she heard what you said just a few minutes ago?” he asked, picking up his sword.

Zuko shrugged

“She’d back me up. I haven’t heard her complaining so far.”

It was Sokka’s turn to smirk now.

“Oh, _there_ you are, sis!” he called out, waving his hand to somewhere behind him, and Zuko’s eyes widened.

He immediately whipped his head around but was confused when he didn’t see his wife. Then he understood when he felt his legs being swept out from underneath him, and he landed on his back with a thud and a loud grunt.

Sokka pointed his sword a few inches from his face, and he grinned cheekily.

“See kids? That’s why you shouldn’t act high and mighty,” he called out. “Otherwise you get too full of yourself and fall victim to the oldest trick in the book, like this guy who just got his royal tail handed to him.”

Zuko returned his smirk.

“Nice job.”

“Thanks buddy,” Sokka replied, switching to a mocking tone, “and now we’re even. Can you still fight, or did his highness get too hurt and bruised up like a moon peach just now?”

He was answered by his own yelp of surprise as Zuko spun around on the ground and swept his legs out from underneath him in retaliation.

~*~*~

Izumi and Hanzo watched, completely enthralled, as the duel between their father and uncle continued. Now that she was actually paying attention, the crown princess could see how her uncle’s mastery of the sword differed slightly from her father’s.

Zuko had explained once to Izumi how he and Uncle Sokka actually had the same teacher when they were younger, Master Piandao, the greatest swordsmen of this age. He was the one who taught them both at separate times, but over the years they’d adapted his lessons to fit their own styles and even came up with their own techniques.

Every so often, they paused to catch their breath, calling over to the sidelines and pointing out the different moves they used for both the Southern Water Tribe and Fire Nation fighting styles.

The crown princess nodded along eagerly, as did her brother.

“I want to do that,” the prince said after watching the match continue. “I want to be just like Dad and Uncle Sokka and you.”

Izumi looked over at him in surprise, feeling slightly guilty about her behavior towards him earlier.

“But you’re a firebender,” she said, recalling her father’s explanation of how he turned to the blades to compensate for his less-than impressive bending in his younger years. “You probably won’t need it.”

He grinned up at her.

“I wanna be just like you, Zum,” he said proudly, snuggling up by his big sister’s side.

Well, she couldn’t exactly argue with that. So she grinned and gave her little brother a sideways hug.

Their father noticed as well, pausing the match for a moment as he and Uncle Sokka looked their way and grinned before resuming their duel.

Izumi thought to herself that it might not be so bad being the only one in her immediate family who couldn’t bend, especially if she ever mastered the sword as well as her father.

If it meant she could one day become as awesome as her father was with blades, Izumi decided she definitely wasn’t so upset about being a nonbender, after all.

Even her uncle was formidable and got the upper hand on the Fire Lord at several points, who just conceded defeat and retaliated immediately afterwards with a smirk on his face.

~*~*~

A short while later they were joined by their mother and Aunt Suki, who quickly reminded them all why she was the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors when she effortlessly took out several guards in a practice fight without even breaking a sweat.

Izumi and Hanzo watched their aunt, openmouthed in amazement, as their parents grinned and Uncle Sokka sighed dreamily while watching his wife in action.

Then her father motioned for her to join him on the courtyard with his broadswords, and she got to show off everything he'd taught her so far as her family oohed and ahhed from the steps, applauding at the appropriate times.

Once they finished, father and daughter bowed just like they’d put on a theatrical performance and grinned at each other.

“I’ve got a very important question for you, Zum,” her father said as they all walked together back towards their respective rooms to get cleaned up for breakfast. “Are you still too grown up to be carried?”

Izumi considered this as she watched Uncle Sokka swinging Hanzo around, pretending her younger brother was an airship and making exaggerated flying noises that caused the prince to laugh out loud.

Her father turned his head to watch them as well, raising his eyebrow each time his son squealed whenever his uncle joked about “dropping” him, only to “catch” him at the last moment.

Zuko turned back around and winked at his daughter.

“Not like that, obviously,” he deadpanned. “So, what do you say?”

To his relief, Izumi nodded and grinned, and the Fire Lord knelt down so she could climb up on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered, standing up and exchanging a smile with his beaming wife. “Let’s go get breakfast before your uncle eats it all.”

And so, her family made their way through the hallways, talking and laughing a little too loudly to be proper or becoming of royalty, although no one watching them seemed to care too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned in the end notes of the previous entry that I had a couple of future chapters after this one that were nearly completed... 
> 
> But then I decided to scrap them altogether. Basically, their plotlines would have sacrificed characterization for the sake of adding shock factor to the story, not to mention it would have taken most of the focus off of Izumi. I wanted this to be her story, not her parents'.
> 
> Here’s what I had planned before I decided against it:
> 
> Long story short, it added a subplot that involved remnants of the New Ozai Society, who kidnap Izumi and hold her hostage, even taunting Zuko at one point that they'll give her a matching burn scar like his (yeah, I know, TOO DARK). She's physically unharmed but shaken up, although she's also angry that they targeted her for being a nonbender (this also inspires her to fully commit to following in her father's footsteps as a swordswoman, so no one will think she's weak ever again). Once she's rescued, Zuko personally leads a small task force and wipes out everyone involved in the NOS (if you've ever seen "The Godfather" it would've played out similar to the baptism scene). Aang of course is infuriated by this violent retaliation, and it leads to a fallout between the two friends and Katara, who isn't happy but supports her husband nonetheless (Southern Raiders 2.0, if you will.) They would all reconcile somehow at some point, but... 
> 
> ... Yeah. It got waaay too dark and out of character for Zuko to go that far, IMO. He's no Michael Corleone, and while he's struggled with doing the right thing, I can't see him swinging full Dark Side like that, even if the NOS had it coming by threatening to harm his daughter. That, and I have no idea how Aang would end up moving past something like that. 
> 
> I wasn't happy with that whole plot when all was said and done, and while it would have led to several crazy cliffhangers and jawdropping moments, I think ultimately you guys would have hated the swerve. It would've been too much in a bad way, and I probably would've had to bump the rating up, which I really didn't want to do. 
> 
> I'd already written a few chapters out, though, so I decided to take a break from this fic to decide if that was really the direction I wanted to take this story or if I could still use elements of it for a slightly different subplot. Ultimately, I decided against it - I don't believe in creating unnecessary drama for the sake of plot, not if it means disregarding established characterization in the process. 
> 
> Sure, Zuko has a strong sense of justice and willingness to protect those he loves, no matter the cost to himself... but not quite like that. He's not vengeful - this is the same guy who extended his hand to help save Zhao even after his assassination attempt, after all, and that was before he became one of the good guys. I worried that his actions veered too far into Ozai territory, and honestly, it just didn't sit right with me in the end. 
> 
> Sooooo, yeah. I scrapped all of that and instead decided to stick to the drama that will come with Izumi learning about the Fire Nation's bloody history and her ancestors' role in the war, especially her father's before the Day of Black Sun. So there will still be drama but not QUITE as dark and angsty as what I originally wrote. 
> 
> Hence why this fic has been AWOL for so long, but I do plan to update it more frequently from now on. I've been sitting on this chapter for FOREVER while I figured out which direction to take this story in, and I'm so glad I finally got to post it.


	5. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in time for the new year! 
> 
> Remember when I said I'd be updating this story more frequently, then worked on 9 other projects in the last month-and-a-half instead? Oops. Anyways, it's back baby! 
> 
> Heads up, I reference some events from two of my other fics, “Of Haloes, Waves, and Starlight” and “Winter Sunlight” in this chapter, in case it gets confusing.
> 
> Our girl is gaining a sense of confidence in herself and her abilities as a nonbender... so naturally, the pedestal she's on is due to start cracking. It's going to hurt a lot whenever it shatters completely and she learns the whole truth about everything. 
> 
> You will probably not like me by the end of this chapter, especially after the cliffhanger... but as long as you dislike a certain character **more** , then I'm fine with that.

A few days after the twins’ birthday celebration, Izumi found herself standing on the docks in the capitol harbor once more.

This time she was accompanied by her parents and siblings, waving farewell as the purple sails carrying her relatives disappeared into the early morning fog.

Once they had completely vanished from sight, the royal family turned and made their way towards the palace to settle back into normalcy, at least for the time being.

The crown princess settled back into her usual routine once more, rising with the sun to meditate alongside her father and brother. She always made sure to get there first so she could claim her favorite mat before Hanzo could get his fingers on it, no matter how much he pouted.

She also practiced with her wooden broadswords nearly every day, perfecting her forms while the Fire Lord looked on whenever he wasn’t training with her brother, nodding in approval. Occasionally she attempted to perform several of the techniques that Uncle Sokka showed her, and over time she started combining their two forms into her own.

Izumi was leagues behind her father when it came to sword fighting, of course, but she eventually got better over time with practice. She still couldn’t land a blow on him, but she got incredibly close at times.

At one point she caught the edge of his shirt with the pointed end of her wooden sword, and his eyes widened in shock before he quickly regained his composure and effortlessly dodged her blow with a smirk.

Afterwards, they sprawled out on the steps, gulping down water and watching as Hanzo practiced basic firebending katas nearby.

“Not bad, Zum,” the Fire Lord praised her, leaning over to give his daughter a kiss on the head. “Keep it up, and you’ll be even better than me one day.”

She highly doubted that, but she still grinned nonetheless, snuggling up against her father’s side even though they were both sweaty and gross and the humidity just made it all worse.

It didn’t matter, though.

All she cared about was feeling warm and safe with her dad’s arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders, smiling down and proudly kissing the crown of her head every so often.

~*~*~

Less than six months remained until not only the crown princess’ seventh birthday, but the ten-year anniversary of the war’s end as well.

After a week or so of recovery following the twins’ birthday party, her parents soon became buried in planning and meeting with representatives from the other nations.

While there had been an annual celebration ever since the first year after the war ended, this time it happened to be the Fire Nation’s turn to host the festivities.

Since Izumi’s birthday and the royal couple’s ninth wedding anniversary would fall a few days leading up to the ten-year mark, they simply decided to have a week-long festival to commemorate all three.

It was especially fitting that they go all out for this particular birthday celebration too, her father explained, as the seventh birthday was considered to be a particularly lucky milestone for Fire Nation children.

Over the next few months, Izumi was introduced to countless representatives and visitors from all over the world – some she had met before, some she had learned about only through her parents’ stories, and some she had never heard of before.

The princess met various Air Acolytes and representatives from the Earth Kingdom and both Water Tribes, and she was fascinated whenever they told her and her family countless stories about their homes at the dinner table during those visits.

Izumi had been a mere babe during her first and only trip to the Southern Water Tribe, back before Druk had even joined their family or the twins were even born. She remembered freezing white snow flurries and huddling in her father’s arms for warmth, but little else.

Her parents promised her a return trip someday soon, and she couldn’t wait to revisit her mother’s homeland now that she and her siblings were old enough to enjoy it.

She had perfected her braiding skills and faithfully recreated the more intricate hairstyles that her mother said were used for special occasions in the Water Tribes. Izumi knew about several of them already, having worn a few of the simpler styles from time to time, but she was fascinated by just how many different types there were.

Her own hair wasn’t quite long enough to emulate Katara’s braided hairstyle from her teenage years. However, Izumi proudly started incorporating the traditional hair loops just like the ones her mother wore on a daily basis, with gold beads instead of blue.

The first time her father saw her new hairstyle, he paused what he was doing and beamed down at her.

“You look very pretty, Zum,” he said proudly, “and you look so much like Katara, too.” 

That surprised Izumi, but in a pleasant way – she always heard how much she resembled her father. Rarely was she told that she looked like her mother, although she hadn’t realized it until just then.

The princess learned the significance of the different styles and braids as well, such as the symbolism behind the Warrior’s Wolf Tail that most men in the tribes sported a variation of.

She also learned that before a battle, it was oftentimes tradition for a warrior’s wife or a woman who loved him to help braid a few strands of his hair to represent her faith in his survival, as well as bestow strength and ensure his victory.

“Dad, did Mom ever braid your hair during the war?” she asked her father one night as he tucked her in.

Zuko shook his head and gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“We didn’t get engaged until after the war ended, little turtleduck,” he explained, using one of her nicknames from when she had been a baby.

Truthfully, it wasn’t until sometime during their trip to the Southern Water Tribe in the months before the royal wedding that Zuko had actually learned about the practice.

If he had thought to ask, Katara might have braided his hair before his gauntlet challenge against her father’s best warriors, although traditionally it wasn’t something one asked for. Rather, it was freely offered by a lover as a sign of her blessing upon him.

Besides, competing in the gauntlet had been such a last-minute decision on Zuko’s part that Katara wouldn’t have had time to perform the act properly. Since then, he hadn’t fought in any battles, so she hadn’t had a chance to offer.

“But you were her boyfriend, right?” Izumi persisted. “Couldn’t she have still braided your hair?”

Her father shook his head once more. The only other occasion Katara could have braided his hair like that would have been before his Agni Kai against Azula, except back then, she had still been hesitant of their budding relationship.

When Katara had finally professed her reciprocation of his love, it was while she healed him on the battlefield after she brought him back from the brink of death. By that point, it was a bit too late to think about braiding his hair, not to mention she was too busy saving him.

“I hadn’t earned it yet,” was the only cryptic explanation he decided to give Izumi.

He declined to explain exactly what that was supposed to mean, however, although he once again assured his daughter that he would explain everything one day when she was older.

“I had to work hard to prove myself to earn your mother’s love,” he said, snuffing out her candles and lights. “Maybe one day if I’m ever in another battle, she’ll offer to braid my hair. But I don’t plan on getting in any more fights, so that’s not something either of us should worry about. Goodnight, Zum.” 

She laid awake in the darkness for some time after he kissed her goodnight, wondering what her father could have done before all those years ago that deemed him unworthy of her mother’s devotion.

~*~*~

Izumi also practiced traditional Southern Water Tribe dances alongside both her parents after dinner most nights once the twins were tucked into bed.

Her father’s dancing left much to be desired, at least in that style, although it was clear that he was enthusiastic and gave it his best effort.

However, he excelled at other types of dancing, especially whenever he extended his hand to her mother and twirled her around the room. Occasionally he even lifted his wife off of her feet entirely and spun her around.

Katara always squealed just like a teenage girl while he smirked, much like they did ten years ago one evening in the beach house courtyard, beneath a sea of stars and a haloed moon hanging high in the night sky overhead.

Izumi watched gleefully as her parents danced, her mother’s head resting on her father’s shoulder at times, and the two continuously exchanged smiles of contentment as they swayed together.

Everything was perfect, the princess thought to herself as she noticed the looks of love her parents shared with each other.

It seemed like nothing could destroy their happiness.

~*~*~

One day, the Fire Nation received an unexpected but welcome visitor.

Izumi and her siblings were playing a game in their grandmother’s garden when a messenger was sent to fetch them, and they were instructed to follow her as soon as possible for something important.

“But whyyy?” Kya whined as they walked through the palace hallways, dragging her feet.

Their messenger just smiled and shook her heard.

“I’m afraid that’s a surprise, little princess,” she said apologetically, winking at all three.

The royal siblings exchanged looks of confusion with each other, although they kept their questions to themselves.

Once they reached their father’s study, however, they immediately understood once a small boy with wild dark hair barreled into them.

“Bumi!” they exclaimed, laughing and hugging their friend as he returned their greeting just as loudly.

He was a few months shy of four years old but already getting into trouble, just like his mother. The siblings always loved seeing their friends, especially if it gave them an excuse to run rampant.

They heard two pairs of chuckles coming from inside the study, and as they peered around their friend they saw Bumi’s father had come to visit them as well.

“Uncle Aang!” they shouted, and he laughed as all three raced to greet him.

Nearby their mother and father were beaming as they watched the reunion take place.

“Flameo, little fire kids!” Aang called out, somehow fitting all three of them in his arms for a massive hug.

Immediately their father’s smile dropped to a frown and he rolled his eyes as his children repeated that ridiculous greeting before they began bombarding the Avatar with their important life updates and inquiries.

“Uncle Aang, guess what? I’m a firebender!”

“I’m a waterbender just like Mommy!”

“Hey Uncle Aang, did you hear I’m learning how to fight with broadswords?”

“Where’s Aunt Toph?”

“Did Momo come with you?”

“Uncle Aang, hey Uncle Aang…”

Their father interrupted then, sparing his friend from answering them all at once.

“Settle down, settle down,” Zuko chuckled. “Give your Uncle Aang a breather, kids.”

Izumi was suddenly struck by wicked inspiration, and she bowed formally in her father’s direction.

“Yes sir, Sifu Hotman,” she said with a mischievous grin.

Aang's jaw dropped in surprise and he doubled over with laughter, as did Katara while the Fire Lord scowled and folded his arms.

“This is the best thing ever!” the Avatar cackled, patting his sulking friend playfully on the shoulder. “Who taught you that nickname, Zum?”

She gestured to her mother, who just grinned cheekily.

“Lighten up, Sifu Hotman,” Katara teased her husband as he rolled his eyes yet again. “Your nickname fits you.” 

“I can’t believe you three would sell me out like this,” he retorted, the corners of his lips twitching upwards nonetheless. “You three are hereby banished. Everyone except Han, Kya, and Bumi because they know better than to mock me.”

The crown princess knew her father was joking around, yet she looked up at him with mock sadness all the same, blinking her big golden eyes at him pitifully until he caved not even ten seconds later.

“I take it back,” he amended, patting his daughter on the shoulder and gestured to his wife and best friend. “Zum can stay, but you two can’t. Terrible influences, the both of you.”

Aang grinned and shook his head, elbowing his friend in the ribs.

“Sure, sure,” he drawled.

Then he knelt to be eye level with the prince and princesses to answer their inquiries.

“Han and Kya, I heard about you two, and I’m so excited! You’ll have to show me what you’ve learned so far. Zum, I’m really proud of you too! Your dad mentions your progress in each of his letters, and I can’t wait to see what you can do. Aunt Toph stayed behind on Air Temple Island with the acolytes and the twins and Momo, but she sends her love and can’t wait to see you all for the big celebration in a few months.”

He stood upright once more.

“I think that was everything,” Aang declared, stretching his arms out. “So Sifu Hotman, you up for a bending match before dinner, or have you gotten too old and creaky?”

The Fire Lord raised his eyebrow in amusement.

“Speak for yourself, old man,” he replied. “ _You’re_ the one who’s 125 years old.”

The Avatar smirked.

“Yeah, but at least I don’t have gray hairs.”

Zuko’s jaw dropped slightly and his eyes narrowed, just as Aang intended. The Fire Lord indeed had discovered a few silver hairs recently, and he was rather sensitive to their sudden appearance.

“That’s because you’re _bald_. Besides, it’s just one or two…”

“All I’m hearing are excuses, gramps.”

“Fine. You want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone, Aang, be my guest. Let’s go right here, right now!”

Meanwhile Katara rolled her eyes and exchanged a conspiratorial wink with her eldest, and mother and daughter giggled in spite of themselves.

Then they all followed as the Avatar and the Fire Lord led their group out to the courtyard, continuing their good-natured ribbing as they pitted fire against fire and eventually reached a draw.

~*~*~

Later that week, a few additional guests also arrived, although their greeting wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as the Avatar’s had been.

These were delegates sent from Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe, her mother explained to Izumi the night before their arrival, and they were visiting to discuss ongoing reparations with the Fire Lord and the Avatar as mediator.

Although the crown princess didn’t know much about the history of the war just yet, she knew that one of her ancestors had started it. She also knew that the Fire Nation constantly owed money, supplies, and various other forms of compensation to the other nations as a result, especially to the Water Tribes.

“Can I show them my tribal dances and my braids, Mom?” Izumi asked excitedly as she got ready for bed. 

She was confused when her mother shook her head with a solemn smile.

“Maybe not this time, Zum,” Katara said softly, brushing her daughter’s hair back from her face. “They’re going to be very busy talking about serious things and the upcoming celebration, but if you want to, we can style your hair in traditional Water Tribe braids during the week of festivities so you can show it off to the others. What do you say?”

The princess pondered this for a moment before nodding with a grin, and her mother let out a sigh of relief.

In reality, Katara and Zuko hoped to keep their children away from one of their visitors in particular.

They had met the other two before and were on friendly enough terms with Nanuq and Arnaq, who also happened to be one of the first women representing the Northern Water Tribe internationally in its history.

The third, however…

Sometime after their wedding all those years ago, the royal couple learned that Hahn, formerly engaged to Princess Yue, had not only survived the Siege of the North against all odds - he was also one of their biggest critics.

Upon learning that Katara was betrothed to the newly crowned Fire Lord, he had allegedly sneered at the thought of their upcoming union and supposedly likened their engagement to the Southern Water Tribe selling her off like a common whore to warm a monster’s bed.

What would have been far better, Hahn had claimed back then, was that Katara should be engaged to _him_ instead and prevent any half-breed offspring from being born. He’d also made a few disparaging remarks about women in general and their willingness to open their legs if they were desperate enough before he was cut off.

(Hahn was indeed fortunate that neither the Fire Lord or Lady saw him in person anytime soon after learning about those particular comments, as he would have wound up burnt to a crisp and subsequently frozen solid.)

At least Sokka and his family had gone home when they did, Katara mused, so they wouldn’t have to worry about him and Hahn hashing it out yet again.

After learning about Princess Yue’s fate, Hahn had personally blamed her brother for not protecting the princess, even though there was nothing Sokka or anyone else could have done to stop her from making her decision.

Although Katara knew for a fact that her father and most of his men not-so-secretly despised Hahn, she also knew that many in the North undoubtedly shared his sentiment to some degree, at least at first.

Chief Arnook was a reasonable man and leader, but she’d heard rumors as well that he too expressed doubts upon learning of their engagement, although he was far more tactful in expressing them than his former future son-in-law had been.

Although the Northern Water Tribe was no stranger to arranged or political marriages, many of their citizens still found the idea of a union between their sister tribe and the Fire Nation outrageous. Despite Zuko’s sacrifice to save a waterbender’s life by intercepting lightning to the heart, they still doubted the Fire Lord’s intentions were completely benevolent.

Over the years, Chief Arnook and most of his tribe had come around to a certain extent, although there were still hints of distrust concealed behind some of their polite smiles.

Both Zuko and Katara expected that reluctance and knew those sentiments would probably never go away entirely, at least in their lifetime.

While members of the Southern Water Tribe had also been hesitant – particularly those present during his first visit seeking out the Avatar – having the blessing of Chief Hakoda, Master Pakku, and her brother had certainly helped foster better relations between those two nations in the long run.

Maybe once Izumi ascended the throne one day, a child born of two countries with both fire and water flowing through her veins, both Water Tribes and by extension the world might fully trust the Fire Nation again.

Maybe it would be far into the future before the other nations deemed they had atoned enough for the sins of their forefathers.

Maybe that would never happen at all.

Meanwhile, the wisdom that comes with aging seemed to have calmed Hahn down somewhat, and if he still harbored any of those insensitive thoughts he kept them to himself, at least during the times they had seen him since.

He had been civil enough to their faces in the past especially once he became a delegate for the North, but ultimately the royal couple still didn’t entirely trust him as an acquaintance.

Still, though. Katara and her husband knew they couldn’t shield their children from him or the world forever, but they still preferred to keep their babies as far away from his potential criticisms as possible.

~*~*~

One morning a few days after the Northern Water Tribe delegates’ arrival, the crown princess found herself involved in a game of hide-and-seek with her siblings and Bumi.

Their parents insisted they keep to one of the palace’s many gardens as they were wrapped up in meetings and planning, while one of the nannies kept watch over them.

Izumi had already won a few rounds – it was admittedly easy when one’s opponents were younger than five years old, after all, and hadn’t quite grasped the concept of completely concealing themselves from view just yet.

It was Hanzo and Bumi’s turn to count, and both princesses quickly sought out their separate hiding places.

She wasn’t sure where Kya eventually ended up, but Izumi discovered a thick row of shrubbery outside one of the palace’s guest rooms. Technically, she was cheating just a bit – this location was on the very outskirts of the garden, but she didn’t think she’d get into too much trouble for slightly bending the rules.

Besides, she reasoned, how else were her brother and Bumi supposed to get better if they weren’t challenged every now and then?

She settled down behind the bushes right underneath the windowsill and made herself comfortable. As long as Kya didn’t sell her out and the boys hadn’t peeked, it should be some time before she was found.

The princess decided to entertain herself in the meantime by working on her braiding once more. Maybe if their visitors had free time later during their visit, she could show off what she’d learned.

At least, she thought that until she heard a door opening from somewhere within the room and unfamiliar voices as they filed inside and closed it behind them.

Izumi knew eavesdropping was wrong, but curiosity got the best of her then – after all, she was a few months shy of seven, and she couldn’t exactly move out of earshot without giving up her spot anyways.

So she paused her braiding to listen in.

~*~*~

“I’d say that meeting went as well as can be expected, wouldn’t you agree?” a man’s voice asked to whoever his companions were.

She heard a snort of derision from someone else in the room, and it sounded like this person was most definitely _not_ pleased by their meeting.

“Maybe if they weren’t trying to completely rip us off,” said a younger voice that Izumi immediately disliked. “Imagine being Water Tribe and still thinking you’re doing your people a favor by selling out to intermingle with this lot. You’d think Katara would be more willing to send us additional reparations, but of course she’s too busy fawning over her husband to be useful.”

Izumi straightened her back upon hearing this and frowned. She certainly wasn’t used to hearing anyone talk this way about her parents, especially in that condescending tone of voice.

The first man didn’t seem too pleased by his companion’s answer, either.

“You heard their reasoning as well as I did, Hahn. I’m sure Chief Arnook will understand. Our sister tribe was devastated by the war far more than we were, so it’s only natural that they are prioritized.”

Hahn scoffed and it sounded like he poured himself a drink.

“And whose fault is that, Nanuq? It didn’t sit right with me all those years ago when we found out Katara was engaged to the Fire Prince, especially since _his_ people were the ones who started this whole war in the first place. But I’d expect nothing less from the sister of that stupid oaf who let Yue die.”

There was a swallowing sound before Hahn continued, as if he’d taken a sip.

“I could’ve been the next chief in line had I married her, but thanks to Sokka, I’m now stuck reporting to his brother-in-law instead. Unbelievable.”

Izumi listened as the other man, Nanuq, carefully tried to change the subject. 

“If I’m not mistaken, you chose to pursue this position, did you not?”

“Well, it’s not like I had a choice,” Hahn snorted. “It was either that or let some woman with barely any knowledge of politics flounder and mess it all up.”

“Lady Arnaq seems to be handling herself quite well, if I say so myself,” Nanuq replied evenly. “She helped negotiate one of the bigger treaties during last year’s meeting all on her own, not to mention she’s consistently been a top student in the political science classes back home.”

Hahn didn’t sound like he was that impressed by her accomplishments, although he didn’t comment.

There was a stretch of silence, during which the crown princess decided that she didn’t like this particular visitor very much, although the other seemed fine – at least for now. 

She was also confused – she had heard of Princess Yue’s sacrifice to become the moon spirit, but she hadn’t realized her uncle had been involved somehow in her death. 

What else did she not know about her family?

As she would soon find out, quite a lot.

The two men discussed other things that she didn’t quite understand, more treaties and past summits and the like, so she mostly blocked them out, quietly tearing apart a leaf from the shrubbery…

…that is, until she heard them mention her parents once more.

“Can you believe how far we’ve come in the last ten years?” Nanuq asked his companion. “To think, if I had told my younger self that I would one day be dining with the Fire Lord and drinking his wine, I would have thought you were mad. Funny how things work out.”

Hahn made a humming noise of agreement as Nanuq continued.

“I do wish Lady Katara would reconsider our offer to renovate the South Pole, though. I understand that she wants it to have its own identity, but after the Fire Nation killed off all its waterbenders and decimated its population, there’s not much of a culture left for the Southern Water Tribe to rebuild, is there?”

Izumi’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open upon this revelation. Her father’s people – _her_ people – had killed off her mother’s, who were hers as well?

The princess knew in theory what a war was and that it consisted of battles… but she had never actually paused to consider the casualties it had caused.

She felt sick to her stomach as she listened to Hahn speak next.

“I still find it hard to believe that Katara actually married that _ash maker_ after all was said and done,” the younger man sniffed. “I don’t care how much someone claims to have changed for the better. If you invade my homeland and threaten to burn down my village, there’s no going back from that. Did you hear that he even threatened her grandmother, Pakku’s wife, back then too?”

Nanuq said that he had, as calmly as if they were discussing the weather.

“Strange times we live in, Hahn,” he agreed. “At least the Fire Lord seems to genuinely care about her in his own way. The elders had their doubts at first but that, I suppose, is something worth celebrating.”

Hahn snorted.

“Some love story. They hate each other for years and fight on opposite sides, then suddenly they’re the loves of each other’s lives? She must have gotten tired of spreading her legs for the Avatar if she was that willing to hop into the Fire Prince’s arms – ”

But he was cut off by a knock on the door and a servant’s voice informing them that afternoon tea was ready.

~*~*~

The princess sat there in stunned silence, completely frozen.

She was so horrified that she barely heard them reply that they would be along shortly before they left the room or the door closing behind them.

Izumi didn’t even notice the footsteps drawing closer to her hiding spot several minutes later either until the shrubbery was pulled back and her brother’s jubilant face grinned down at her.

“Found you!” Hanzo exclaimed, turning his head away and waving at someone else nearby, presumably the others. “Here’s Zum! She’s over here!”

He turned back to face her and immediately his smile vanished when he saw the look on her face and how her hands were shaking. 

“Zum, are you okay?” he asked softly, carefully crawling around the branches and leaves to sit beside his sister and hugged her. “Why are you crying?”

Izumi suddenly couldn’t speak, so instead she wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face before she started to sob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I really do feel bad about Izumi learning some of those bombshells like that. Hahn is the absolute **worst**.
> 
> Fun fact: I was originally going to have him and the other delegates make an appearance during “Winter Sunlight” where he would try to convince Hakoda to call off his daughter’s engagement to Zuko. But I axed that plot line because I got so. damn. tired. of writing Hahn spouting BS, so it got recycled for this story instead.


	6. Sins of the Father - Pt. 1

Izumi didn’t remember being led away from the gardens back to the haven of her bedroom.

The twins and Bumi tagged along close behind, asking what was wrong until the nanny finally instructed them to be silent for now and quit pestering her.

Once they reached the princess’ room, the nanny ushered the younger ones away to the playroom, unsuccessfully attempting to distract them in the process.

She vaguely recalled climbing in her bed, still dressed in her playclothes as a servant was sent to fetch her parents and another brought her a steaming cup of lavender tea to soothe her nerves.

None of it seemed entirely real, though.

All she could hear were those harsh words playing over and over in her head.

_… hated each other for years…_

_…. threatened her grandmother…_

_… the Fire Nation killed off all of the waterbenders…_

Suddenly, she couldn’t hold it back anymore.

Izumi flung back her covers and ran past the concerned servant watching over her until she reached her adjoining washroom, where she promptly threw up.

~*~*~

Six pairs of eyes glanced up curiously at the servant who interrupted their afternoon tea.

“Forgive me, your highnesses, Avatar Aang, and our esteemed guests from the Northern Water Tribe,” the servant said serenely while bowing. “Princess Izumi is feeling unwell, and I was sent to see if one of – ”

Immediately the Fire Lord rose to his feet, volunteering to check on his eldest daughter, but Katara shook her head.

“I’ll go,” she offered as she stood.

She rested her hand placatingly against his arm and gently squeezed it through the robes.

“You stay here, Zuko. I’ll send someone to get you if it’s serious.”

He frowned lightly but conceded, sitting back down to rejoin Aang and the others as his wife hurried after the servant towards their daughter’s room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nanuq and Arnaq exchange looks with each other and the Avatar.

Hahn, of course, looked entirely unperturbed and continued to sip his tea.

“I do hope the princess recovers soon,” Lady Arnaq said with a polite smile, and the others agreed, even Hahn (although he seemed far less sincere in his well-wishing). “I have a grown daughter of my own, and I remember how worried I used to be whenever she was unwell.”

Zuko thanked her absentmindedly and tried to focus on resuming their previous conversation, although he had a sinking feeling in his stomach for some reason that he couldn’t quite pin down.

~*~*~

Of all the things Katara expected her eldest daughter to say once she finally arrived, the question Izumi blurted out after the servants were dismissed was decidedly _not_ one of them.

“Mom… did you and Dad ever hate each other?”

Katara was visibly taken aback and recoiled in bewilderment.

It was true that she had despised Zuko for a time before he joined their side following the fall of Ba Sing Se. She continued to harbor disdain for the self-exiled Fire Prince even after he started training Aang, at least until their search for the Southern Raiders.

She had feared, pitied, and disliked Zuko at times in the past before they became allies, friends, and eventually lovers, but she had never once hated the man who she would eventually marry.

The only person she could actually claim to truly abhor was a sad, pathetic old man who cowered beneath her blades of ice and freely offered his own mother’s life as compensation for murdering hers.

But that was more heartache than her daughter needed to know about just yet. Katara sensed that horrific conversation was somewhere on the horizon, though, far closer than she would have liked. 

“Of course not, Izumi! Where would you get an idea like that from?!”

Her daughter didn’t seem entirely convinced by her answer and wrapped her arms around her knees, ducking her head.

“I did something bad, Mom, please don’t be mad,” she begged quietly.

Katara stroked her daughter’s hair gently as she sat on the bed beside her.

“Of course I won’t, sweetie. You know you can tell me anything.”

Izumi took a deep breath to steady herself before she admitted to sneaking away from the others while they played. She told her mother all about hiding out behind the shrubbery and how she listened in on a conversation from the partially open windowsill.

As she spoke, Katara’s eyes narrowed in realization once her daughter mentioned which side of the garden she was in. From how Izumi described it, she had been right outside of the men’s guest rooms.

Both she and Zuko had known beforehand that their meeting with the Northern delegates might not go over well, but they had counted on the more even-tempered Nanuq and Lady Arnaq to keep Hahn’s tongue in check.

She closed her eyes momentarily, bracing herself for the worst.

“Izumi, what did they say?”

The princess hadn’t understood everything she had heard earlier, but she understood enough, so she repeated what she could actually remember.

Meanwhile, her mother listened in growing dread as her daughter told them what she could recall about their conversation regarding the devastation of the Southern Water Tribe, the slaughter of its waterbenders, and how Hahn had scoffed at the suggestion of them being happily married.

Izumi paused, and Katara could sense her daughter was scared to continue. So she pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead.

“Did you hear them say anything else? You can tell me, Izumi, I promise I won’t be upset with you.”

Her daughter nodded and gulped, shrinking into herself even more. She didn’t know the significance of the other things she heard, but something told her they were bad.

“He said… he said you opened your legs for Uncle Aang and called Dad an ash maker…”

She trailed off, noting the cold fury that washed over her mother’s face. The piping hot tea in her cup suddenly froze solid, and Izumi dropped it with a squeak at the unexpected coldness.

That seemed to snap the Fire Lady out of whatever trance had just come over her, and she looked like her kind, gentle mother once more, although her blue eyes were as icy as the South Pole’s deepest waters.

“I’m sorry about your tea, sweetie, let me...”

She picked up the cup and unfroze it, setting it aside.

Katara forced herself to breathe in and out for several seconds before she spoke, not trusting herself just yet lest she start yelling.

“Do you know what any of that means?” she asked, relieved when her daughter shook her head. “Good, that’s… good. What you heard was how some grownups talk when they’re being impolite, but that’s _not_ how we talk, Izumi. I don’t want you repeating any of that, do you understand me?”

Her daughter nodded, golden eyes blinking back tears, and Katara sighed, pulling her in for another hug.

“Mom? I won’t repeat it, but… what did he mean by that?”

Her mother’s grip tightened around her slightly for just a moment, debating exactly how she wanted to say her next words.

“He was calling your father and I bad names,” she eventually murmured, rocking her daughter gently as if she was a toddler again. “When you get older, you’ll learn that not everyone is going to like you, and that’s okay. You’re not going to like everyone you meet either, and that’s okay too. What’s _not_ okay is insulting people for their heritage or calling them names.”

She pulled away slightly and stroked the princess’ hair.

“The one who said all of those things… did he sound young or old?” she asked, though she knew the answer already even as her daughter confirmed it.

They sat in silence for a time before Izumi spoke up again, sounding scared.

“What about the other things they said?” she asked, gulping down a new wave of tears. “Did Dad really threaten Gran Gran and invade your home? Did the Fire Nation really kill off all the waterbenders?”

Her mother’s brow furrowed and she frowned down at her daughter.

“That’s a conversation you and I will need to have when your father is present,” was all she said. “But please know this, sweetie. Your father and I weren’t always friends when we were younger or on the same side, but we have _never_ hated each other.”

Katara paused, knowing that her daughter’s world was about to grow larger and crueler despite their best efforts to delay the inevitable. She hoped what she said next might help soften the blow, if only by a little.

“Your father is a good man, Izumi,” she murmured, pulling her in for another warm embrace. “If you believe in nothing else… believe in him.”

~*~*~

Just as he feared, the Fire Lord was called away from the tea not long after his wife’s departure, leaving the Avatar to entertain their guests.

Instead of joining them in Izumi’s room, however, he was instructed to meet Katara in his private study, and she asked that he come alone.

Katara was already there when he arrived, absentmindedly freezing and unfreezing a nearby pitcher of water repeatedly. Cracks started to form throughout the exterior of the container, but she paid them no mind as all of the liquid frosted over once more.

She looked as though her thoughts were millions of miles away, and Zuko knew immediately that whatever she was about to say, it was not good news in the slightest.

He called her name softly as a greeting, startling her out of her daze.

“How’s Izumi?” he asked after wrapping her up into a quick embrace and planting a kiss on her cheek.

His wife didn’t speak at first, instead pulling him in closer and drawing a ragged breath as she buried her face against his chest.

Then she whispered the words that made his blood run cold.

“She _knows_ , Zuko.”

~*~*~

To her husband’s credit, he didn’t set fire to everything in sight or self-immolate once she relayed exactly what their daughter had overheard.

Flames rose from his clenched fists when she told him about Hahn’s crude language regarding her and the derogatory slur he’d called Zuko, and for a moment she detected an almost murderous look in his eyes.

He had still never managed to conjure up lightning, but as Katara spoke in hushed, grim tones, he thought he might be able to after all as a quiet rage pulsed through his veins.

If he had been his younger, hotheaded self, he might have marched back down the hallway and threatened to rip Hahn’s lungs out through his throat and burn them to ashes as he watched. As it was, he was tempted for a moment to do just that, but he immediately suppressed that urge back down.

He of all people knew that Ozai wouldn’t have hesitated to burn his enemies alive for the most miniscule slight, but Zuko refused to do anything that even remotely seemed like something that his father would have done.

When Katara finished speaking, he removed his crown and undid his topknot, running his fingers nervously through his hair.

He exhaled smoke, internally debating on how he wanted to respond in the most diplomatic way possible.

“I’m going to kill him,” is what he finally decided on, much to his wife’s chagrin as he stood and started pacing anxiously around the room.

“Zuko, _no_ ,” she admonished weakly, sounding like she was only protesting for propriety’s sake.

Katara reached out and took his hand in both of hers, halting him in place.

“Believe me, once I found out what he said, I wanted to march right back and bloodbend him within an inch of his life,” she admitted as he glared pointedly in the direction of the doorway. “But we can’t – ”

“I know, I _know_ ,” he said quietly. “I just… _Agni_ , Katara.”

He slumped down in a seat, covering his face with his hands.

“So she knows everything, then?” Zuko asked, dragging his palms down his face and staring at the floor in shame.

“Not quite,” his wife amended, sitting down on the armrest of the chair and rubbing his back comfortingly. “All I confirmed is that we weren’t always friends, but we’ve never once hated each other.” 

He looked at her skeptically from the corner of his eye.

“Really? Even when I deserved it?”

Katara shook her head and kissed his scarred cheek.

“Nope, not even once. I’ll admit I wasn’t always your biggest fan in the past, especially prior to our life-altering field trip, but I’ve never hated you. Not even when I was in labor for nearly twenty hours with the twins.”

The corners of his mouth shot up briefly at her feeble attempt of a joke, but the ghost of his smile faded just as quickly as it appeared.

His wife noticed and softly planted more kisses along his face. He let out a sigh, and she found herself carefully tugged into his lap, and his arms wrapped around her waist, clinging to her for strength and solace.

She draped her arms around his shoulders and rested her cheek against his forehead, and there was a long silence as neither dared to say anything just yet.

“What are we going to tell her, Zuko?” she finally asked, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

He exhaled more smoke and hugged her tighter, burying his head beneath her chin and hiding his face against her chest.

“The truth.”

~*~*~

Izumi held a small, clear plaque that contained various lilies, orchids, lotuses, and flecks of gold up to the afternoon sunlight pouring in through her window.

She had received it as a present when she was barely a month old from one of her father’s oldest friends, her parents had explained once, and it remained one of her favorite possessions. 

The princess often enjoyed watching the different colors cast from it whenever it was held up to a light, bathing her in a rainbow of flowers trapped forever in a moment of time.

However, she got little amusement from it today.

She was shaken from her thoughts by a light knock against the door that she immediately recognized as her father’s.

Izumi felt nervous, although she wasn’t quite sure why. Nevertheless, she answered the door to find both of her parents smiling down at her, and both looked as apprehensive as she felt.

“Hey, Zum,” her father said softly, kneeling down to be eye level with his daughter. “I heard about what happened earlier… how are you doing?”

Izumi didn’t respond, however, staring at the floor silently.

He cautiously reached out to cup her cheek, and to his relief she let him. After the conversation they were about to have, Zuko had an ominous feeling she wouldn’t for quite some time.

The Fire Lord and his wife had decided to give their daughter a condensed version of the story they originally had planned to tell her once she was older. They knew she would have additional questions as she learned more about her ancestry, but for now, they hoped to answer just the basics.

All three settled around the small metal fire pit that normally stayed unlit during the spring and summer months. However, her father created a tiny flame that flickered warily, almost as if it was scared to grow brighter.

They sat in silence for a long time before her father finally spoke. His voice was low, and even though there was no one else in the room, it was as if he were sharing a secret that he hoped no one else would hear.

“Izumi…” he began, staring into the fire as it danced above the embers. “You’ve asked to hear the story of how your mother and I met, and we’ve always said we would tell you once you were older. She and I have often discussed what all we would tell you and what age we felt was appropriate… however, we know you have questions now based on what you heard earlier, so I’ll get right to it.”

He paused, and his wife rested her hand on his back for comfort before he continued.

“There is some history that you need to understand first, though. The war started more than a hundred years ago because your great-great grandfather Fire Lord Sozin wanted to conquer the world and bring it all under Fire Nation rule, but he was prevented from doing so by his former best friend, Avatar Roku… until Roku passed away, and Aang was born…”

Izumi listened, golden eyes wide open, as her father grimly explained how, upon her other great-great-grandfather’s death, Fire Lord Sozin wiped out the Air Nomads almost entirely and soon set his sights upon the Water Tribes.

For generations, her father said, Fire Nation civilians and royalty alike were taught that their country was the greatest civilization in history and that the war was their way of sharing that greatness with the rest of the world.

He looked off into the distance, frowning at a long-distant memory.

“What an _amazing lie_ that was,” he scoffed.

Zuko paused again to take stock of how well his daughter was handling all of this information. She looked as stunned as they had expected but if she was horrified, she hid it well.

He exchanged a glance with his wife, and she nodded solemnly, rubbing his back once more.

“Even though I’m telling you this, Izumi, there are some things you’re not old enough to hear just yet. However, I promise that your mother and I will answer all of your questions at some point.”

Both had decided that she was far too young to learn the specifics about how he received his scar and subsequent banishment, so they opted to skip those particular details for now.

“What you heard about the Fire Nation killing off waterbenders in the South is true,” he continued, brow furrowed as he stared into the fire without actually seeing it. “They raided the Southern Water Tribe constantly until it was a shell of its former self, wiping out countless lives and destroying families…”

His wife tightened her grip on his hand and he stopped speaking. She shook her head, and he seemed to understand what she meant, although she didn’t say a word. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and he slid his arm around her back to give her a sideways hug and a delicate kiss on the cheek before he continued.

“I’ve told you before that I didn’t have the best relationship with my father growing up and how he always favored your Aunt Azula. Back then, I felt like I had to prove myself to him, and when I was thirteen I was sent away from the Fire Nation to find and capture the Avatar. I searched all over the world but had no luck, until one day when I was sixteen and my travels led me to the Southern Water Tribe.”

He trailed off, and the princess finally understood then that perhaps there was a more sinister reason her parents had never told her before how they met.

Izumi’s suspicions were confirmed moments later when her mother spoke up then, asking her if she remembered the story of how she and Uncle Sokka freed Aang from the iceberg. 

She nodded, listening attentively as the Fire Lady recalled how they accidentally sent out a flare from a derelict Fire Nation ship trapped in the ice, leading her father’s ship directly to their doorstep.

Her mother paused, squeezing her husband’s hand, and the Fire Lord sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before he spoke again, his golden eyes settling on his daughter.

“Ever since you were born, you’ve always been curious about the wider world,” he said with the faintest hint of a wistful smile on his face. “You’ve never once acted like you were better than anyone else just because you were a princess, and your dedication to learning more about the other nations is truly admirable. Your mother and I couldn’t be prouder of you, Zum. I wish I could say I had a fraction of your character when I was old enough to know better.”

His features darkened as he stared into the fire again, almost as if he couldn’t bear to look at her just then.

“The reason we haven’t told you any of this before is because we wanted to protect you from the terrible things you’re going to learn one day... and we wanted for you to hold on to that innocence for a while longer.”

He hesitated and exhaled slowly.

“Also, there are many things about my past that I’m not proud of,” he admitted quietly, and the flames grew hotter before receding again. “I’ve changed for the better, but a selfish part of me was afraid you’d look at me differently once you learned the whole story.”

Izumi got a sick feeling in her stomach again, and she wished that her father would stop speaking. A part of her wished she could forget this conversation ever happened and pretend it was just a bad dream.

“Daddy?” she whispered, her small voice barely audible. “What did you do?”

She had reverted back to her previous name for him without even realizing it, and when she noticed her father’s hands shaking, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. 

~*~*~

Before he could answer, however, her mother quickly interjected.

“What you need to know, Izumi, is that your father has made mistakes in the past - and so have I, just like everyone else - but he has _never_ been a bad person. He’s always had a good heart, even though he was misguided at times.” 

Her father looked at his wife with a soft, almost grateful expression on his face before he stared into the fire again.

“There was some truth to what you heard from our visitors earlier,” he said bitterly after another long silence. “My ship followed the signal directly your mother’s village.”

He paused, closing his eyes.

“At the time, the only ones living there besides my brother, Gran Gran and I were a handful of women, several of them elderly, and small children,” Katara added softly. “All of the men had left two years earlier to fight in the war, and the only one old enough to defend the tribe was Sokka.” 

“He was just a year younger than me and he still chose to take a stand against a ship full of firebenders, knowing that he had absolutely no hope of winning, much less surviving,” her father said. “I disposed of him immediately, and then I set my sights on the rest of the villagers.”

He grimaced and ducked his head in shame. Izumi noticed that although her mother continued rubbing his back in reassurance, a dark expression had overtaken her features as well.

“I may not have threatened to harm your great-grandmother directly, Izumi, but I did grab her by the arm and yelled horrible things at the villagers… your mother included. I threatened to burn everything down if they didn’t hand over the Avatar, and at more than one point I nearly lost control of my bending as I shot fire at them.”

He winced and dared to glimpse at his daughter out of the corner of his eye, and immediately he wished that he hadn’t when he saw the horror and disgust washing over her face.

But he had known this moment was coming since the day Katara found out she was pregnant several years ago. He had dreaded its impending arrival, but having foresight of it did nothing to lessen the blow of seeing his daughter’s reaction.

Zuko ducked his head and let out ragged breath as he decided to end the story right then, lest he devastate their daughter even more with recollections of his past sins.

“Fortunately, Aang appeared before we could do any damage and gave himself up as a prisoner, and we left the village unharmed but ultimately terrified immediately afterwards. Then your mother and Uncle Sokka launched a rescue mission with Appa’s help, and before we got far they had all escaped, leaving me behind with nothing but a damaged ship.”

Izumi continued staring at him, looking sick to her stomach, and instinctively he reached out to his daughter to comfort her.

“I was wrong to do any of that, and not a day goes by that I don’t regret…” he started to say, extending his hand to pat her shoulder.

But she recoiled from his reach, and her golden eyes were wide with fear and distrust. He immediately withdrew his hand and closed his eyes as his wife inhaled sharply and decided to speak out.

“Izumi, I understand this has been difficult for you to hear, and believe me sweetie, we wanted to wait until you were older before we told you…”

Her mother’s voice faded out as she bit her lower lip, her gaze darting between her husband and her daughter, unsure of who needed her comfort the most right then. She knew of course that her focus should be on Izumi, yet the look of self-loathing on Zuko’s face broke her heart even more.

She swallowed and reached out her hand to her daughter, and unlike earlier with Zuko, Izumi notably didn’t pull away.

“Sweetie, that was who your father _used_ to be. He’s not that person anymore – I wouldn’t have married him if he were still like that. He’s more than atoned for all of his mistakes, and he changed into a better man long ago – ”

The princess spoke up, her little voice quivering with tears.

“Is that the worst thing you’ve ever done?” she asked.

She hoped he would nod, but to her dismay he sighed and shook his head in disgrace as a tear slipped down her face. 

“Izumi,” he asked quietly. “Do you want me to leave?”

There was an almost unbearable silence that seemed to stretch on for an eternity, and he wondered if they could hear his heart hammering against his ribs.

Then his daughter nodded slowly, just as he’d anticipated but briefly hoped she wouldn’t all the same.

“Zuko, wait…” his wife began, reaching out for his hand as he stood up.

Wordlessly he pulled away from her grasp, his repentant eyes never leaving Izumi’s. 

“I’m so sorry,” he offered helplessly, ducking his head. “I understand if you don’t want to see me anytime soon, but please know that I love you, Zum, and I would never do anything to hurt you. I’m always here if you ever want to talk…”

He stopped abruptly, almost as if he didn’t trust himself to continue, before spinning on his heel and walking away.

Her mother rose to her feet in a futile attempt to stop him.

“Zuko, wait…” she pleaded again, but he was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I'm so sorry 💔 I promise the next chapter will end on a more optimistic note, plus he and Katara will be confronting Hahn and calling him out, which should provide some catharsis. 
> 
> Obviously I didn't want for Izumi to learn everything just yet, especially since she's a couple months shy of seven at this point. However, in about six months' time in-story they're going to visit the Southern Water Tribe, and I wanted her to have some level of awareness prior to that trip. 
> 
> There's still plenty of time for her to find out about her father's role in the fall of Be Sing Se, him hiring an assassin to track down the Gaang, and most importantly, how he got his scar. Plus, that's not even accounting for her eventual meeting with her Aunt Azula and Ozai somewhere down the line... 
> 
> I worried this chapter might come across as a bit too melodramatic, so let me know what you think! As always, thank you for reading and leaving comments! They're much appreciated and loved.


	7. Reconciliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of quick notes: 
> 
> 1) I fully intended to have a conversation in this chapter where Aang sits down with Izumi and explains how he became friends with her father, showing that he's forgiven Zuko and the Fire Nation. It doesn't necessarily mean that she has to forgive Zuko just because the others did, per se, but it should provide her with more perspective from an outside party. 
> 
> 2) Likewise, I also planned on having Hahn getting called out in this chapter as well, but approximately 5K words later... oops. Besides, this chapter is emotionally charged enough as it is, so I wanted to save it and Izumi’s conversation with Aang for next time.
> 
> 3) Aang sort of quotes Marcus Aurelius in this chapter with one of my favorite sayings: “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”

Mother and daughter stared at each other in silence for a long time after the Fire Lord left.

For a moment Katara had been tempted to follow after her husband, but she knew that he would insist their daughter’s needs come first.

So as much as it pained her to do so, she had no choice but to let Zuko leave and face his demons alone, at least for the time being.

The Fire Lady eventually crossed the room and sat down on her daughter’s bed with a sigh, holding out her arms.

“Come here, sweetie,” she whispered, and Izumi immediately filled them, burying her face into her shoulder. “I know this has been hard to hear, and you’re far too young for this conversation… but we would rather you hear it from us instead of someone else, like earlier.”

She stroked her daughter’s hair and planted kisses against her head every time she heard Izumi sob.

“I know, I know,” Katara murmured again and again, rocking her gently until the princess’ tears gradually subsided.

Once her daughter had calmed down, she gave Izumi another kiss on the cheek and pulled back, smiling down at her sadly. Both she and Zuko had anticipated this day would come sooner or later, although they had hoped it wouldn’t be quite so soon.

Katara wished she’d had more time to figure out what to say for this moment, but instead she found herself having to improvise the speech she’d started to compose in her head over the years.

“Izumi, there’s something important I want you to know. It’s true that your father was not always the nicest person when he was younger. We are not denying that or making excuses for it, either. However, as you grow older you’ll learn that every single one of us is capable of great change… and years before you were born, your father proved to me without a doubt that he had changed and showed me that he has a good heart.”

She stretched out across the bed, resting her head on the pillows, and her daughter immediately snuggled up against her side.

Katara lightly traced circles on Izumi’s back as she considered her next words carefully.

She knew what Zuko had told their daughter before regarding his childhood, and while it was ultimately his story to tell, she hoped to provide clarity in some way.

“Your father is a complicated man, and he didn’t grow up exactly like you or I did with loving parents. After Grandmother Ursa disappeared when he was a child, he didn’t have any positive influences in his life, save for Grampa Iroh. He thought that he had to behave a certain way to be accepted by his own father, so he acted mean at times until he realized that was wrong.”

Izumi was silent for some time, processing this information.

At last she spoke up, and her voice was timid.

“Mom? Why did you marry Dad if he did all of those awful things to you and your village?”

Katara smiled down at her daughter.

“Because that was who he _used_ to be before he became the man I fell in love with. Despite his flaws, he’s a good man, and he’s worked hard to become even better over the years. Besides, do you think I’d have married him if I didn’t believe he was an honorable person?”

Izumi pondered this thoughtfully as her mother continued.

“There are many stories I’m going to tell you about what a wonderful friend, husband, and father he’s been, Zum. However, today I’m going to share perhaps the most important one. Do you remember the tale of the dragon and his phoenix?”

The princess nodded, snuggling up closer against her mother’s side. It was one of her favorites when she was younger, although she wasn’t entirely sure how one of her fairy tales would change her current opinion of her father.

“You already know about the part where the dragon and phoenix fell in love and ruled their kingdom side by side,” Katara explained. “However, there’s more to that story that you haven’t been told yet, but I think it’s time you heard it.”

~*~*~

Izumi listened, enthralled as her mother began recounting the story of how a dragon with crimson scales encountered a blue phoenix one day long ago and was captivated by her strength and beauty.

Meanwhile, Katara said, the phoenix discovered that a warm, gentle heart was hidden beneath the dragon’s fierce exterior that softened whenever he was around her. However, because their kinsman had warred against each other in the past, they had to find common ground first before they could even become friends.

She paused.

“Remember the legend of Oma and Shu and the Cave of Two Lovers?” she asked the princess, who nodded. “Their story was something like that. Once the two reconciled their differences and discovered that they had more in common than they previously thought, they fell in love.”

Then one day, Katara continued, the dragon learned he could be crowned king of all other dragons but only if he fought an equally fearsome rival for the throne. His opponent was a powerful, cunning she-dragon with deadly blue flames, and it would take all of the crimson dragon’s strength to defeat her and ascend his rightful place on the throne.

“When the phoenix learned of this, she offered to help her dragon win the battle for the kingdom, but he insisted that she sit the fight out,” Katara explained as she gazed off into the distance, frowning slightly. “The dragon was worried that his lover would be hurt, and he promised her that neither she nor her people would have anything to fear from him ever again.”

“So the phoenix accompanied him and watched breathlessly from the edge of the battlefield as the dragons roared ferociously and breathed golden and blue fire. The two pushed each other to glory, until the crimson dragon was within easy reach of victory.”

“But the she-dragon who breathed blue flames was clever and knew that she could not defeat the red dragon in the end. So she decided to trick him and sent a bolt of her deadliest blue flames towards the phoenix instead to distract him.

“The crimson dragon was forced to make a terrible choice – would he attack his opponent while she was preoccupied and win the throne? Or would he risk it all to save the phoenix he loved, even if it cost him his own life in the end?”

Katara paused and tapped her fingertips against her daughter’s shoulder.

“What do you think happened next, Zum? Did he save the phoenix or ascend the throne?”

The princess tilted her head up at her mother in confusion.

“I thought they lived happily ever after and ruled together for many years?” she asked.

“They did,” Katara clarified. “But what do you think he chose to do in that moment? Win the fight against his opponent or put himself in harm’s way to save the one he loved?”

Izumi contemplated this before shrugging, and her mother smiled sadly before continuing.

“Some said afterwards it would have made more sense for him to attack the other dragon and win the throne while she was distracted… but that’s not what he did. Instead, he followed his heart and leapt in front of the blue flames so the phoenix wouldn’t be harmed – but at a terrible cost to himself.”

“Because he had to make the decision so quickly, he wasn’t able to redirect the blue flames away from himself properly,” her mother said solemnly, gazing off into the distance as if she were reliving a nightmare from long ago. “The only thing he could do was absorb them all, and most of the flames even scorched his heart in the process. But his sacrifice saved the phoenix’s life, even as he burned alive from the inside out before he crashed to the ground below.”

Her daughter gaped up at her with wide eyes, and Katara planted a quick kiss on her forehead for reassurance.

“It’s okay, Zum, remember that this story has a happy ending. After he fell, the phoenix quickly subdued the blue dragon and rushed to his side to heal him using her tears. Eventually she revived her crimson dragon, and once they confessed their love for each other, they lived happily ever after.”

Izumi considered this in silence for a long time before she gazed up at her mother once more.

“What happened to the evil dragon?”

Her mother frowned again.

“The dragon who breathed blue flames wasn’t evil, sweetie. She was taught to be that way from birth, but she got better over time. She’s now living happily somewhere on the edges of their kingdom.”

Now _that_ was stretching the truth somewhat.

It had been a few years since either Katara or her husband had visited Azula at her private home sequestered away from the capitol, and she hadn’t exactly been receptive to the thought of reconciliation with her brother and mother just yet.

However, Azula no longer attempted to attack them all on sight, so that had to count for something, Katara mused…

She was brought back to the present by Izumi nudging her.

“Mom? What does this story have to do with Dad?”

Katara gave her daughter another hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Because some legends are based on stories, like the one I just told you, and your father has more in common with the dragon in your story than you realize. One day when you’re older, he and I will tell you all about the time he saved me and almost lost everything else in doing so. But in the meantime, please know that he loves us all more than his own life, and he would do anything for his family and those he cares about.”

Izumi furrowed her brow in a frown as a thought occurred to her just then.

“When he saved your life… is that when Dad got his scar?”

“Which one, sweetie?”

She hesitated before she tapped her left cheek and then her stomach.

“Ah. Well, _he_ should be the one to tell you about how he received the one on his face, and that will have to wait until you’re much older. But I can tell you that yes, he got the one on his chest from saving my life, like I mentioned earlier.”

The princess’ eyes widened in realization. She had figured out some time ago that both of her father’s major scars must have been caused by fire…

 _Some people are worth getting hurt for_ , he had told her once, and she recalled how her mother’s eyes had watered over back then for a moment before she hurriedly composed herself.

Katara meanwhile stroked messy dark locks away from her daughter’s face as if she could read her thoughts.

“Just like the dragon in your fairy tale, your father also intercepted blue flames to save my life, knowing he could easily die in the process. He can tell you more about it one day, but he got the scar on his chest by being a hero.”

Izumi’s mouth fell open as she let out a little gasp.

She started to bombard her mother with questions before she was gently shushed.

“It’s a complicated story, and we promise we’ll tell you everything about it when you’re older… but not right now, sweetie. You’ve already had a long, difficult day, and I think we could both use a nap. What do you say?”

The princess started to protest but yawned loudly instead.

Defeated, she nodded her head as Katara pulled a soft blanket up around their shoulders and the two made themselves comfortable.

“Mom?” she ventured after several minutes of peacefulness. “Is blue fire even real?”

The Fire Lady hugged her tightly for a moment and nodded.

“Some firebenders are powerful enough to make their fires hot enough to burn blue,” she explained, “and although you haven’t seen it in person… some of them can even bend lightning, just like what you see during a thunderstorm.”

Izumi sat up even as her mother carefully nudged her back down to rest.

“Can people really bend lightning, Mom? Can Dad do that?”

Katara winced and shook her head.

“No, sweetie, he can’t bend lightning but he can redirect it away so he doesn’t get hurt… actually, that’s what he was trying to do when he saved me and caught fire to himself instead.”

The princess’ mind was racing now. If her father could counter lightning, then he must have known exactly how much it was going to hurt in case he failed and still chose to save her mother anyways…

Then she yawned again, storing that epiphany away for another time.

Mother and daughter snuggled together until the shadows cast by the afternoon sun lengthened and stretched throughout her bedroom.

“I’ve absolutely and completely forgiven your father, Izumi,” Katara murmured as they watched the fading sunlight with heavily lidded eyes. “He’s not perfect, but he _is_ a good man.” 

~*~*~

Heavy boots thudded down the carpeted hallways of the palace, sending servants scattering in their wake.

If any of them had business with the Fire Lord or considered stopping him for any reason either important or trivial, they immediately changed their minds upon seeing the dark frown painting his features.

Zuko paid them no mind, though, clenching and unclenching his fists and snuffing out the flames that formed within his palms. He had no idea where he was going, only that he had to keep moving forward like one of the many breeds of sharks that lurked in the ocean near the shores of Ember Island.

If he stopped, he would drown, so he kept forcing himself to place one foot in front of the other, anything to distract his mind from…

“Hey, Sifu Hotman!”

He froze in place at the sound of his best friend’s cautiously optimistic voice.

His worst fears were confirmed when, upon turning to face him, he saw that the Avatar wasn’t alone.

It was just his luck, he thought grimly to himself as he mustered up a polite smile at his three Northern Water Tribe guests, although it was less of an actual smile and more of steeling his features to look less glum.

He avoided looking at Hahn altogether, fearing the temptation to punch him in the nose would be more than he could handle.

Instead, he ground his teeth together as he bowed his head in acknowledgement of the others. When Lady Arnaq inquired about the Fire Lady and the eldest princess, he found himself hesitating. What could he possibly say at that moment?

Unfortunately, he was spared from coming up with an answer.

“You and the wife having trouble in paradise or something?” Hahn asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The hallways suddenly grew stiflingly hot, and immediately Aang stepped in between the two as Lady Arnaq and Nanuq raised their eyebrows at each other. 

“Sorry guys, I just remembered something I have to discuss with Zuko before dinner,” he said in a tone that was far too cheerful to be genuine. “See you later!”

And with that, he grabbed his friend by the arm and practically yanked him down the hallway.

“Aang, stop, this isn’t the best time – hey!” Zuko barked out.

But his friend ignored his protests, and the Fire Lord was dragged most inelegantly until they rounded several corners out of sight and hearing distance from the others.

Only then did Aang stop and turn to face him with a raised eyebrow of his own, and the two eyed each other warily.

Two servants passing through sensed the tension and quickly made themselves scarce. After they were gone, the Avatar spoke quietly so that only his friend could hear.

“Okay, _something_ is going on here, and I’d like to know what it is before you roast a certain delegate alive.”

Zuko scoffed.

“I wasn’t actually going to roast him…”

“ _Please_. If looks could kill, Hahn would be smoking atop a funeral pyre right now, not to mention the temperature rose like an inferno back there.”

The Fire Lord groaned and tilted his head backwards, exhaling smoke and streams of fire.

Aang made a sound of sympathy.

“It’s that bad, huh?”

A dejected nod was the only response he received, and the Avatar frowned as his friend gestured for him to follow along, leading them towards his private study.

~*~*~

“Wow,” was all the Avatar said somberly, leaning back in his seat as he watched Zuko pace around the room anxiously, clenching and unclenching his fists once more. “You weren’t kidding. That is really, really not good.”

“You think, Captain Obvious?” his friend retorted, letting out a loud growl of frustration.

Aang chose to let that insult go, considering the circumstances. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered everything he had just heard.

Hahn’s comment about him and Katara was bad enough – the most they’d ever done before she started dating Zuko was kiss a few times, and even if they _had_ been involved like that, it was no one else’s business.

While Aang had once harbored feelings for his waterbending teacher, he eventually learned to let her go and found an even better love with Toph. It had been a painful journey at times for all of them, but that was all buried in the past.

Which unfortunately, Hahn had dug back up, along with a few bombshells about Zuko’s old shames from his less than paragon years. No wonder his friend was in such a foul mood.

“I’ve known this day was coming at some point,” Zuko was saying through gritted teeth. “I’ve always known that I would have to reap what I sowed back then, and I’ve been bracing myself to face it head-on whenever the time came. I just didn’t think it was going to be this soon. Katara and I always hoped it would be on our terms.”

With that, he fell back into his chair and covered his face with his hands. Aang remained quiet, allowing him tranquility to gather and voice his thoughts whenever he was ready.

The Fire Lord let out a sigh and sat forward, resting his forehead against his clasped hands as he stared at the floor.

“Can I ask you something? I want you to be completely honest and answer as the Avatar, not as my friend.”

Aang nodded as he continued.

“Do you think I’ll ever do enough to atone for everything I’ve done in the past? I’m trying, I swear I’m trying every day to do the right thing not just for my country, but for my family as well… but sometimes I wonder if it even matters. Sometimes I wonder if I’m actually a good man.”

Several moments of silence passed as the Avatar examined his unlikely ally and friend the Fire Lord, who was currently slumped forward and looked like he was minutes away from a meltdown.

“Have you mentioned any of this to Katara?”

He shrugged his shoulders morosely. 

“I’ve told her some of this, and I think she senses my doubts sometimes. I just don’t want to burden her, you know? It’s not her job to put me back together whenever I fall apart and she’s got enough to worry about as it is.”

Aang nodded thoughtfully.

“Still, though. She’d want to help you, Zuko, or at the very least listen as you vent your frustrations. Trust me on this one. She used to baby me all the time, and from what I’ve seen she’s never done that to you – she’s always treated you like an equal and her partner, not as someone she has to take care of. Don’t shut her out.”

“Also, I’d say the fact that you’re even concerned about whether or not you’re a good man only proves that you _are_ one,” he pointed out. “I mean, you’re not perfect, but then again I’m not either – believe me, Toph won’t hesitate to knock me off my pedestal whenever I’m acting too preachy or condescending.”

“Same goes for Katara,” Zuko muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards for a moment into a ghost of a smile. “Somehow she manages to call me out while still keeping the sweetest smile on her face.”

Aang frowned as he watched his friend’s expression fade into moroseness once more. The firebender raked his fingers through his shoulder-length dark hair, the topknot long untied and his golden crown stored away earlier.

“I’ll answer your question with another question first, then I’ll impart some straightforward wisdom I picked up from one of the Earth Kingdom’s greatest philosophers,” the Avatar said. “Sound good, Sifu Hotman?”

His former sifu snorted.

“I can’t wait for the day you stop thinking that’s funny, Aang. It’s a stupid nickname.”

“Nah, it isn’t. You’ll come around one day.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. He highly doubted that, but if Aang could dream, so could he.

“Fine, what’s your question?” he asked.

The Avatar leaned forward, eying him attentively.

“What does a good man act like, Zuko?”

Before he could answer, however, Aang resumed speaking.

“Do you care about the wellbeing of others, not just yourself? Do you constantly strive to make your corner of the world a better place and seek out the path of righteousness as well as justice? Would you do anything to protect those you care about?”

His golden eyes flickered upwards and narrowed as his hand rested on the star-shaped lightning scar on his chest during that last question in particular. He exhaled and finally nodded.

Aang gave his friend an encouraging smile.

“I’d say you’re a good man, then, and I’m not just trying to make you feel better because you’re my friend. Believe me, if I disagreed with you or what you were doing at any point, I’d let you know in a heartbeat.”

Zuko contemplated this with a thoughtful frown, staring off into the distance and lacing his fingers together, forming a small prison as Aang continued.

“If you need more words of wisdom, I’ll share this famous saying by one of the Earth Kingdom’s greatest philosophers. ‘Don’t waste time arguing what a good man should be. Instead, _be one_.’ Or something along those lines.” 

The Fire Lord smiled at that, even though it was strained.

“I kinda like that quote. Who said it?”

The Avatar shrugged.

“Beats me, but I’ve always thought it was good too.”

“You said it was from a great philosopher but you can’t even remember their name?”

“Hey, I’ve got a lot of knowledge floating around in my head. I’m 125 years old, I can’t keep track of everything!”

The two friends shared a light chuckle and smiled gratefully at each other.

“Thanks, Aang.”

“Anytime, Sifu Hotman.”

~*~*~

The Fire Lady and her eldest daughter were greeted with a familiar sight when they emerged later that afternoon for dinner.

Katara tilted her head and smiled thoughtfully as she observed her husband hunkered over sitting on a bench outside of the crown princess’ room, resting his elbows on his knees with his head bowed as if in prayer.

He seemed to be lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice them until his wife pointedly cleared her throat.

“I feel like I’ve seen this exact scene before,” she said kindly, patting Izumi’s shoulder.

Her husband mustered up a rueful smile at her before returning his gaze back down to their daughter standing by her side. He chewed on his bottom lip, still undecided of what he wanted to say.

“Izumi…” he began.

“Dad…” she started to say at the same time.

Both paused, watching each other uncertainly. He nodded, gesturing at her before his hand fell back downwards.

“Go ahead, sweetie,” Katara encouraged.

The princess glanced up at her mother, who nodded with a smile, and she focused her attention on her father once more.

“Dad? Why did you let yourself get hurt to save Mom?”

His golden eyes flickered upwards at his wife in surprise.

“You told her?” he asked mildly.

“I told her an extended version of the phoenix and the dragon fairy tale,” Katara explained. “I also told her that you saved me just like in that story, and that’s how you got the scar on your chest. I left out some of the more complicated details, like who you were fighting at the time, which she can hear about when she’s older.”

Zuko nodded in understanding and his eyes met his daughter’s again. He exhaled slowly to steady his nerves.

“I did it because I love her,” he said softly. “Because I couldn’t stand the thought of losing your mother, especially if she got hurt like that. So I decided in an instant that I would rather sacrifice myself and burn as long as she was unharmed.”

Izumi glanced up at her mother once more for reassurance before turning her golden gaze back to her father.

“What did it feel like?” she whispered. “When you were hit by the lightning, I mean?”

He frowned lightly, and there was a long pause before he answered.

“It was the most painful thing I’ve ever lived through,” he said quietly. “Do you remember when you burned your hand on that hot plate of food at dinner that time? It was a lot like that, except I felt it all over. I…”

He hesitated, wondering if his next words were too much for his daughter to hear just yet, although Katara nodded at him to continue.

“… it was like I burned alive from the inside out, and it would have killed me if your mother hadn’t brought me back a few minutes later.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed, and he opted to spare her from the more graphic details, like how his lungs had been all but incinerated in the process and how the blood in his veins was practically scorched into ashes.

Instead, he tilted his head and cautiously smiled at her.

“For a minute it was like I was sound asleep and dreaming, at least until your mother saved me and woke me up. Do you know what I dreamed about then?”

She shook her head as he continued.

“I saw _you_ , Zum. I saw the day you were born and I saw how happy your mother and I were while holding you, when you were just a few minutes old. I also saw your brother and sister too, and all of you were happy and playing at our beach house.”

The Fire Lord lowered his head again.

“I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I wish I had been a better person when I was younger. I’ve done a lot of horrible things that I regret but getting hurt to save your mother is something I’d do again in a heartbeat, and I’d do the same for you and the twins.”

He swallowed thickly.

“I want you to know that I’ll always love you, and one day I hope you can be proud of me again–”

Zuko was interrupted then as his daughter silently walked forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her small head against his scarred cheek.

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered.

He drew a ragged breath and clenched his eyes shut, wrapping his strong arms around his daughter in a warm, protective embrace. His shoulders trembled, although he quickly stilled them.

From overhead he heard Katara choke back a sob of relief, which he blocked out lest he break down as well. There would be time for tears later.

“Love you too, Izumi,” he murmured, squeezing her tightly.

~*~*~

To his surprise and relief, his eldest daughter didn’t protest or try to climb back down when he eventually stood up, holding her in his arms like he used to carry her.

Katara stood on her tiptoes to press her lips to his gently for a long time, and afterwards he rested her forehead against hers as she gazed hopefully up into his eyes.

“It’s going to be okay,” she reassured both, pulling them in for a group hug. “We’re going to get through this and be even stronger once we make it to the other side.”

Finally they set off down the hallway together, him still carrying his daughter balanced on his hip with one arm while holding his wife’s hand in the other.

The Fire Lady was the first to break the long silence that followed as they walked.

“Have you seen the twins lately?”

He shook his head.

“No, but Aang went to go check on them and Bumi after he dropped me off, and he said he was going to show them that airbending trick with a pebble or something.”

Katara grinned.

“Oh, that’s a classic. I’m sure they’ll love that.”

There was another lull in their conversation before Zuko spoke up.

“Aang knows, by the way… and he mentioned wanting to be there whenever we talk with you-know-who.”

His wife’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh,” was all she said, exchanging a frown with her husband. “I’m guessing he wants to play peacemaker?”

“Something like that. I told him that would probably have to wait until tomorrow though, so we’d have time to calm down beforehand.”

It was a testament to how far her husband had come since his teenage years that he hadn’t stormed directly to the guest chambers and dragged Hahn out into the open to berate him loudly enough for the entire palace to hear.

Still, though, for a moment Katara wished he would, as she wanted nothing more than to give Hahn a good slap across his smug face. But that would have to wait until later, ideally never, she supposed.

Instead, she tightened her grip on her husband’s hand as they continued down the hallways to reunite with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Passes you a box of Kleenex* 
> 
> Even though he's reconciled with his daughter, they're not totally out of the woods yet - he still has to tell her about the rest of the bad things he did, and he gets to repeat the process all over again for each of his kids (7 total - **oof**. That's going to be rough, to put it lightly.)
> 
> Also, it's probably still a bit too early and she's a bit too young to find out about the final Agni Kai, but I wanted her to get an idea of her father's sacrifice. Hence Katara giving her an abridged, sort-of kid friendly version that will help Izumi see her father in a better light, at least enough to keep her family dynamic from crumbling.
> 
> Anyways, Hahn will be getting called out in the next chapter, although his full comeuppance won't happen just yet. It'll be worth the wait though - trust me.


	8. Confrontation

The world was on fire, and everything was _burning_.

Ashes smoldered somewhere nearby, filling Izumi’s lungs with thick black smoke that should have choked her but did not, somehow.

Flames of blue and gold roared around and over Izumi as she cowered near the ground, shielding her face with her arms, although she remained unharmed.

She should have been sweltering as she appeared to be in the heart of an inferno, but the fires blazing around her seemed much cooler than they should be.

The princess cautiously reached her fingertips out and discovered that these flames didn’t burn – they were cold to the touch.

Izumi stood up and took in the rest of her surroundings. She realized that she was in the palace courtyard where she trained with her father and watched him practice firebending nearly every day.

Yet something was _wrong_ , she sensed, and it wasn’t just because of the walls of fire that surrounded her. The sky was crimson and even the sun itself seemed to burn with a scarlet hue instead of its soothing, warm yellow.

Then she turned and realized she wasn’t alone like she previously thought.

A girl in Fire Nation armor stood on the edges of the courtyard, disheveled and panting furiously as she glared at someone behind her.

She was too far away for Izumi to make out her face clearly, but when she blinked the girl had disappeared, and in her place stood a blue dragon, crouched and ready to attack.

A deafening roar bellowed out from behind Izumi, and her breath caught in her throat when she turned to see a crimson dragon as well, guarding a girl standing nearby in a faded blue dress.

The air seemed to crackle around Izumi, and a wave of blue lightning bolted around and past her, directly towards the girl in blue…

… and the crown princess awoke with a start in her bed, panting and grasping the sheets until her knuckles turned white.

She inhaled and exhaled slowly, reminding herself to breathe.

It had been nothing more than a nightmare, she knew, and it was far from her first one.

Yet it had been so visceral, so _real_ , that her heart continued to pound inside her ribs long after she laid back down and pulled the covers up around her shoulders.

She had forgiven her father on some level earlier that day after hearing of his sacrifice to save her mother’s life.

 _He’s a good man_ , she heard her mother insist, and the princess had no reason to doubt her judgement. 

Still, though.

When Izumi finally fell asleep again, she dreamed a shabby village in the snow and of a crowd of old women and children cowering beneath streams of fire…

~*~*~

The following morning, Izumi and her siblings were sequestered away along with Bumi, confined to the playroom. They were supervised by a pair of nannies with specific instructions to keep them as far away from the Fire Lord’s study as possible until they were sent for, to prevent them from overhearing something they weren't meant to.

Meanwhile he, his wife, and the Avatar sat down for a private, urgent meeting with the delegates from the North over a cup of tea.

The Northerners, who had only been informed of this gathering less than an hour prior, exchanged looks of confusion as they took their seats and got comfortable.

Once the tea had been served, the Fire Lady wasted no time diving right into the heart of the matter. After their children had been tucked in the night before, the three friends had agreed to let Katara lead the conversation, with her husband stepping in as need for backup and the Avatar serving as moderator.

To their credit, Lady Arnaq and Nanuq appeared to be concerned when they learned exactly what the princess had overheard, at least concerning the slurs and offensive language. They raised their eyebrows upon hearing that the princess had been unaware of her father’s past but said nothing for the time being.

Hahn on the other hand seemed entirely unperturbed by this revelation, to no one’s surprise, although he glowered all the same at the royal couple as Katara finished speaking.

There was a long, awkward silence, and of course the youngest delegate was the first to break it.

“Maybe you should teach your kids that it’s rude to eavesdrop,” he said snootily.

“Maybe _you_ should learn to close your window or check outside first if you want to make sure you’re not overheard,” Katara retorted before she could stop herself from rising to the bait. 

Hahn scoffed in derision.

“So, let me get this straight. You two are mad because your daughter found out the dirty little secret about her ancestry?”

The faintest whisp of smoke rose from the Fire Lord’s knuckles but it quickly evaporated as his wife spoke again.

“That’s _not_ the main issue here, Hahn,” Katara said through gritted teeth. “Besides, we have never once fed our daughter or any of our children falsehoods regarding our history. We have nothing to hide from our children and plan on telling them everything one day; however, we were planning on waiting until she was a bit older first, because we wanted her to enjoy her childhood for as long as she could.”

“It’s too bad other children her age weren’t given that same option,” he interrupted. “Like the Air Nomads and Water Tribe villagers who her ancestors slaughtered. Maybe you’ve forgotten your place in all of this, Lady Katara, and exactly what _these people_ stole from you.”

A few present sharply inhaled, and all was deathly silent for a long moment.

“These are _my_ people now, Hahn, be careful how you speak of them,” Katara warned. “But lest you think I’ve forgotten, let me remind you of what you missed while hiding up North playing at being a soldier, while my brother and the men of our tribe fought the battles you missed out on.”

She took a breath to steady herself before she continued.

“It was _my_ decision not to tell Izumi just yet exactly what happened to the Southern Water Tribe,” the Fire Lady stated, setting her hands on her hips and lifting her chin in defiance. “My childhood was taken from me the day my mother died when I was barely eight years old, and I still vividly remember the black soot raining down from the sky like it was yesterday. I can still hear the screams and the clashing of metal and the smell of burnt flesh, especially after my father and I discovered my mother’s charred body.”

She paused, glaring at them as all liquid in room frosted over. Her husband’s eyes were downcast as he frowned, staring at the floor while she spoke.

“Shall I go on, or is that enough for you?”

When she was met with no resistance, Katara paused and exhaled through her nose to calm her steadily rising temper, melting all of the nearby liquids.

Once again, she had to remind herself to be diplomatic and not freeze her sister tribe’s representative solid.

“I haven’t forgotten but unlike you, I _have_ moved forward. I suggest we all do the same, as I’ve already explained the reason why we called this meeting,” she continued, gesturing towards her husband and the Avatar. “I’m fairly sure you can guess what we’re most upset about. We’d like to hear directly from you what was said yesterday morning.”

~*~*~

Lady Arnaq took a sip of her cold tea and eyed her fellow delegates warily. She had known Nanuq since they were both children, although they had never been particularly close friends.

However, he had on several occasions openly praised her skills as a representative and ongoing progress in the political science classes she had recently taken at the Northern Water Tribe’s university, which had started accepting female students within the last decade.

As for Hahn, however…

Something about him had never sat well with Lady Arnaq, and while they were outwardly polite towards each other, her gut instinct told her not to trust him as far as she could throw him. Hearing these allegations about what he had said didn’t surprise her in the slightest, unfortunately.

She had no great love for the Fire Nation in general, although the fact that the Fire Lord had willingly sacrificed himself and his throne for the same girl who once challenged a waterbending master had to count for something, she supposed.

For a moment, she wondered who Nanuq would side with in this case. He too was not overly fond of the Fire Nation but had admitted to her in private that all things considered, Fire Lord Zuko wasn’t the worst fellow out there. At least he was proving to be a better leader than his father, which wasn’t exactly a high bar to begin with.

However, Lady Arnaq also knew that like her, Nanuq’s primary loyalty was to his country and his kinsmen, no matter what.

So she sat back and sipped her tea, curious to see how this all played out. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Hahn were reprimanded, although she wondered just how far the Fire Lord and his bride were willing to go if he didn’t express remorse for his behavior.

Which, truth be told, was highly unlikely to happen, regardless of who he’d offended.

~*~*~

The youngest delegate snorted and leaned back in his chair.

“I only said what we were all thinking,” he asserted, propping his boots up on the Fire Lord’s mahogany desk in a blatant show of disrespect. “Surely you’re not so sheltered from the outside world that you don’t know what the others have been saying all along, have you?”

Aang let out a despondent sigh as steam arose from Zuko’s cup of previously frozen tea, while Katara folded her arms defensively. He had hoped that Hahn would at least be willing to play nice, but he should have known better.

While the Avatar didn’t drink as often as his wife did – at least, whenever Toph wasn’t pregnant or nursing, that is – he had a feeling he would need a large glass of the stronger stuff that Zuko and Katara both took shots of after particularly rough days. 

Something told him that all three of them would be drowning their sorrows and frustrations by the time this meeting was finished.

Katara, meanwhile, kept her arms folded and narrowed her eyes towards Hahn.

“Oh, we’ve heard them, alright,” she said in a low voice. “We also heard what you said nearly ten years ago too about our engagement.”

Hahn’s fellow citizens exchanged an intrigued yet nervous look with each other, as if they’d been anxiously waiting for years for this information to come to light. 

“So you can’t be that surprised that not everyone has bought into this so-called love story of yours,” Hahn continued. “Look, I get it, we do dumb things when we’re young and sometimes our emotions get the better of us. But you two?”

He pointed at Katara and her husband with a look of revulsion.

“You fight against each other for nearly three years but suddenly you decide to throw yourself into his arms just because he develops a conscience of sorts and comes crying to the Avatar about not wanting to live in his daddy’s shadow anymore?”

The Fire Lord had avoided looking directly at Hahn so far once the meeting started, lest the Water Tribesman’s dark blue robes suddenly burst into flames.

After that insult, however, his brow furrowed and he openly scowled in his direction as the room suddenly grew hotter until Katara rested her hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

Hahn let out a scoff as their eyes met.

“ _Lord_ Zuko,” he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain as he drawled out the title like it was the most disgusting thing that had ever crossed his lips. “Do I have your permission to speak freely?”

The Fire Lord raised his eyebrow.

“You’ve already been speaking freely, but please continue to do so,” he said evenly, leaning back in his chair as well and lacing his fingers together.

Some might have interpreted Zuko’s voice as relaxed, yet his wife and the Avatar knew better and exchanged cagey glances with each other.

Hahn took this open invitation and decided to make the most of his platform, even as Nanuq and Lady Arnaq winced apologetically at their hosts.

“It’s no secret that I don’t support this marriage, union, whatever you choose to call it,” Hahn scoffed. “Even though Katara has always been too outspoken – I’ll _never_ forget how she disrespected Master Pakku by challenging him that day – at the very least, she should have married one of her own people like myself instead of interbreeding with the likes of you.”

Katara’s grip on her husband’s shoulder tightened while his lips curled upwards in mock amusement.

“Are you finished yet, Hahn?” the Fire Lord asked in a deceptively calm voice, even as he exhaled smoke. “By all means, don’t be shy. Tell us everything that’s on your mind.”

“Oh, I’m just getting started,” the Water Tribesmen snapped, either oblivious or unbothered by the hazardous ground he was treading on. “You were an outsider from a nation of murderers and thieves, and you had no business marrying a Water Tribe girl. She was far too good for you – ”

“And she still is,” Zuko interjected coolly. “She’s also far too good for anyone else I’ve ever encountered, truth be told, no matter which nation they hail from. However, for some reason she’s chosen me, so I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy enough for her.”

Hahn glared at him.

“You’ll never succeed, you know. You’ll never be good enough to atone for the sins of your forefathers or even your own, not with all of the blood on their hands or yours.”

Zuko shrugged lightly.

“You’re probably right, but I’ll keep trying anyways. While I personally never took a life during the war, I fully acknowledge my people’s atrocities, as well as my own sins before I finally changed my ways. I also know that I can’t even begin to understand all of the pain and heartache the Fire Nation has caused, but I do swear on my life that I will continue to atone for them and make things right as best I can.”

“Good luck with that,” Hahn sneered. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re nothing more than an _ash_ _maker_.”

The tea in his cup froze solid again, and this time the ice crept over his hands and up his arms. He yelped in protest, grunting as he tried to break free.

“If you were trying to get a rise out of me and make me look like the bad guy, then too bad,” Zuko said in a cold voice, patting his wife’s arm comfortingly.

“Call her off!” Hahn insisted. “Control your woman!”

The Fire Lord turned to Katara with an amused look on his face that he made no attempt to conceal.

“Are you done yet, sweetheart?”

“Not even close.”

He turned back to his indignant guest and shrugged a shoulder.

“You heard my wife. No can do, I’m afraid.”

They all watched as Hahn struggled in vain before he finally gave up. With a sigh of reluctance she unfroze his hands, and he turned to address Katara directly.

“And _you_ ,” he hissed accusatorily, “selling out your own kin and marrying _him_. It’s sickening, but I should have expected nothing less from the whore who jumped straight from the Avatar’s bed into this monster’s. Too bad your husband is too weak to put you in your place, you disloyal little bi– ”

But Hahn didn’t get to finish that sentence, as he suddenly found himself staring into the furious eyes of the Fire Lord, who had crossed the room and grabbed him by the collar with one hand. Smoke and tiny flames rose from his clenched fist, although he was careful not to let the fires spread down to the fabric.

Hahn just smirked triumphantly.

“So, the Fire Lord finally reveals his true colors,” he hissed. “Go ahead, burn me. Show them all who you really are. I’d expect nothing less from Ozai’s son.”

He winced a bit when he saw the fire burn brighter for a second, and he closed his eyes as the flames grew larger, feeling their heat now on his face.

But Zuko just exhaled wisps of smoke as he snuffed his fires out. He released Hahn’s shirt none too gently, shoving him back a little in the process. 

“Contrary to what you’d like to believe, I’m _nothing_ like my father,” he said coldly. “I don’t go around picking fights unlike you, but I _will_ finish them.”

He tilted his head in Katara’s direction.

“Apologize to her, now.”

Hahn sneered.

“Or what? Are you actually going to burn me this time, _ash maker_ , or are you too scared?”

Zuko frowned and his eyes narrowed into golden slits.

“If you ever disrespect her like that again, I guarantee it will be the last thing you do,” he said in a deadly voice, ignoring the bait. “She’s more than capable of taking care of herself, but just know this:

“The second she was announced as my betrothed in the Fire Nation, I made certain that everyone knew they were welcome to criticize me all they wanted. However, I absolutely would not tolerate any disrespect towards her, whether it’s from my people or anyone else. I didn’t think I’d ever have to warn someone from her sister tribe, but apparently you’re just that _stupid_. I took lightning to the heart and was ready to die for her without a second thought. Do you really want to know what else I’m willing to do on her behalf?”

Hahn finally looked bewildered and just a little scared.

“Are you threatening me?” he hissed, trying and failing to sound like he wasn’t intimidated. “This is treasonous! Avatar, do something!”

Aang, however, looked like he was in no hurry to call his friend off and wore a similar glare of his own.

“It appears to me that _you_ started it, and the Fire Lord is making sure it ends before it escalates,” he said coolly.

He raised his eyebrow in his friend’s direction, giving him a silent warning that perhaps he should settle down a bit all the same.

The Fire Lord grabbed Hahn by the collar again, and he gulped in spite of himself when he saw the outright murderous look in those golden eyes.

“To answer your question, I don’t make threats,” Zuko said in a low voice. “I keep my word, and I guarantee if you ever say anything disrespectful to her again, it will be your last mistake. Do I make myself clear?”

Hahn nodded, visibly sweating, and Zuko released him.

“Apologize. Now.”

He gulped and squeaked out a barely audible apology as he staggered backwards, glaring at the Fire Lord and Lady.

“Chief Arnook will hear about this!” he snapped. “Even though you’ve turned traitor, Katara, at least my kinsmen here remember what it’s like to be loyal to the Water Tribes!”

His fellow delegates exchanged solemn glances with the Avatar and the royal couple.

At last Nanuq spoke.

“I’ll vouch for what I’ve witnessed here today, and I’ll be sure to include everything Hahn mentioned yesterday as well.”

Hahn turned around and his jaw dropped in shock.

“You can’t be serious!” he squawked as his kinswoman also voiced her support for the Fire Lord and Lady. “This is an outrage!”

“The only thing outrageous here has been your attitude,” Lady Arnaq added coldly, bowing her head towards Katara. “I apologize for my colleague’s atrocious behavior. Once we return to the North I too will vouch for you both.”

Hahn was seething now, and if he were a firebender the entire room would surely have been engulfed in flames by now.

“This is all your fault!” he fumed, pointing at Zuko with a shaking finger, who merely raised his eyebrow. “You deliberately baited me – ”

“Into losing your temper?” Aang finished, crossing his arms. “I believe you did that all on your own, actually.” 

The youngest Water Tribesman’s face contorted in rage as he sputtered.

“You won’t get away with this,” he threatened. “You two and your half-breed brats – ”

“ _Enough_.”

The Fire Lord’s voice thundered out, and for a second Hahn’s hand started to twist in the wrong direction, as if some other force controlled it before it quickly stopped itself.

Avatar Aang was frowning at Katara out of the corner of his eye, and she returned his silent look of disapproval with one of her own.

Zuko took a moment to compose himself before he addressed Hahn.

“From this moment on, you are hereby banished from entering the Fire Nation ever again under penalty of death. Do I make myself clear?”

Hahn scowled and nodded, and a pair of guards were fetched to escort him back to their docked ship, where he was to remain until they set sail for the North Pole the following day.

As he was led out, he held up his hand curiously, examining his wrist, and wondered what had come over it just now.

Once he was gone, Lady Arnaq and Nanuq started to apologize profusely, but Katara held her hand up with a tired smile to stop them.

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary. You two have nothing to apologize for, although we appreciate it nonetheless.”

They nodded and bowed their heads politely.

“I will be speaking with Chief Arnook about what took place here today, and I’ll be sure to mention what Hahn said yesterday too,” Nanuq offered.

“I think it’s best if I come with you, too” Aang said, turning to the pair. “I’ll need to drop Bumi off back home with his mother and explain to her what happened, then Appa and I should arrive in the Northern Water Tribe at about the same time you do.”

They thanked the Avatar, and the two delegates took their leave then, with Nanuq filling his colleague in on what Hahn had said about her as well.

~*~*~

After they had left, the Avatar turned to face his friends.

“Well, _that_ could’ve gone a lot better,” he declared, pouring himself a drink and grimacing immediately at the taste.

“I’ll say,” Zuko agreed, helping himself to a glass as well. “I was expecting Hahn to throw every insult in the book at me, but I wasn’t expecting him to drag Katara into it.”

He turned to his wife, who had also poured a small glass for herself and downed it like a shot.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, and she nodded.

“I actually wasn’t that surprised,” she said, settling down in her chair. “Even though he put on his best manners in the past, I knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped.”

The others agreed, and a much-needed silence followed for several minutes afterwards.

Then Aang cleared his throat and turned to his friend.

“Katara…” he began sternly. “What you did back there – ”

She let out a groan.

“ _Aang_. I slipped for just a second but I caught myself. That’s the only time I’ve ever lost control like that, I promise.”

The Avatar frowned as he observed her quietly.

 _Technically_ it wasn’t a lie.

Even though she had bloodbended on several occasions since she unwillingly learned from Hama, this was the first time she had not done so deliberately. Katara had meant it when she thought that they had found her mother’s killer while seeking out the Southern Raiders.

Then she had used it to restart Zuko’s heart after he intercepted the lightning for her, not to mention the other rather amorous uses they had discovered for it in the bedroom…

But that was far more information than their friend needed to hear, _ever_.

Thankfully Aang decided to drop the subject, as there were other, more pressing matters at hand.

~*~*~

Later that afternoon, the crown princess watched as her siblings and Bumi ran around the garden, laughing and playing as Kya splashed them both by bending water at them from the fountain.

Izumi had opted to read a book instead, and she settled down beneath the shade of a tree before she became immersed in the history of the Southern Lights and how they had reappeared within the last decade thanks to the Avatar’s help.

There was a slight rustling beside her, and she looked up to see none other than the man himself had joined her and was leaning against the tree.

“Flameo,” he greeted her with friendly grin, which she returned. “What are you reading – ohhh, nice choice.”

Aang nodded in approval as she held it up to show him.

“That was one of the first things I did when the six of us returned to the Southern Water Tribe about half a year after the war ended,” he recalled with a smile. “I was so proud to announce to the tribe that the spirits had finally returned after decades of being absent.”

Izumi tilted her head quizzically.

“Where did they go?” she asked.

The Avatar lifted a nearby rock and absentmindedly began to bend it into various shapes, not unlike how his wife did from time to time.

“Well, Zum, they disappeared somewhere into the Spirit World after the war started, and the tribe's spiritual connections were broken. The entire physical world was thrown out of balance, but it’s been gradually healing over the past decade.”

He returned the stone back to where he found it and smiled as he settled down beside her in the grass.

“Did you know that your dad cried happy tears the first time he saw the Southern Lights, nearly ten years ago?”

She shook her head, wide-eyed at this revelation.

“They really are spectacular to behold, no matter how many times you’ve seen them,” Aang explained. “You’re going to love them too, whenever you get to visit your mom’s homeland.” 

There was a brief silence before he continued, giving her another smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes this time.

“Also, I heard that you found out about how your parents and I met back in the day,” he said quietly. “It’s a lot to take in, I know.”

Aang glanced over at the princess, who had closed her book and was now staring at the ground with downcast eyes. He bended a gentle breeze over in her direction that lifted her hair and made it stand straight up for a moment, and she looked at him curiously.

“Hey, kiddo. There’s something I want you to understand. It’s true that your dad wasn’t the nicest person back when we first met. Your Uncle Sokka even used to call him a jerkbender, especially whenever he lost his temper. Zuko and I clashed all the time and for a while, he was one of my biggest enemies.”

He paused.

“But then, he went undercover and saved me after I was captured one day, even though he would have been branded a traitor to the Fire Nation had he been caught. Ask your dad to tell you that full story sometime, it’s a good one.”

Aang smiled at the memory as he continued.

“After that, I realized that maybe there was more to your father than I previously thought. Then a few years later, he decided to join my side to teach me firebending, and he’s been one of my best friends ever since.”

Izumi was studying the Avatar curiously, and he grinned.

“Sure, your old man was still a grump even after becoming one of the good guys but trust me when I say that he’s more than made up for the bad things he did.”

“What else did he – ” Izumi started to ask before Aang shook his head.

“That’s not my place to tell you, kiddo. Someday, you’re going to learn all about the war and the horrible things that happened during it. But what you need to understand is that we’re all capable of change, and we all have the potential to be good people. It just took your dad a little bit longer to understand that.”

Izumi let out a sigh and stared down at the ground again.

“Uncle Aang?” she said quietly. “I’m sorry about what the Fire Nation did to all the Air Nomads.”

The Avatar frowned slightly.

“I’m sorry too, Zum,” he agreed sadly, “and so is your dad, for that matter. One thing I want you to know, though, is that just because your ancestors did something horrible doesn’t mean that you’re a horrible person too, so long as you work to make sure their mistakes aren’t repeated.”

He too let out a sigh and smiled as he watched his son chasing after the twins, squealing happily.

“One day I’ll have to explain all of this to Bumi, and I’m still figuring out how I’m going to do that,” he admitted so softly that Izumi almost didn’t hear him.

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it immediately, unsure of what to say.

With a gust of air Aang hopped up to a standing position and dusted the blades of grass off of his clothing, making himself presentable again. Before he left, however, he gave the princess a final piece of advice.

“If you still have doubts about your father’s character, watch how he treats those who aren’t in power. Is he kind to them and listens to what they have to say, or does he just boss them around? You’ll also get to see how he interacts with everyone from all over the world during the ten-year anniversary celebrations in a few months. You can tell a lot about someone by how others treat them, especially if they’ve messed up in the past. Watch especially how your Grandad Hakoda treats him, as well his warriors and even your Gran Gran. They wouldn’t have forgiven him if he hadn’t proved himself to be a good man.”

And with that, the Avatar bid the princess farewell for now before disappearing back into the halls of the palace for more business with her parents, leaving Izumi alone with her thoughts as the other children continued laughing and playing nearby. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you wondering where Hahn's beatdown was... don't worry, it's still coming. It won't happen for several more years in-story, but it's going to be **so worth it** when it does happen. I've already written out most of that particular scene, and it. Is. Glorious. 
> 
> Also, the next chapter will be much shorter and approximately half the length of this one, so it'll be up in the next day or so. I've been looking forward to posting it for some time, and I think you'll also be pleasantly surprised by the end of it.


	9. The Masters

The day after the Avatar left the Fire Nation, Princess Izumi added a new item to her daily routine as she and the palace prepared for the upcoming weeklong festivities to commemorate the anniversary of the war ending.

She continued to meet with her father and brother for daily meditations. Afterwards, she practiced with her wooden swords while the Fire Lord taught his son how to control his bending nearby, occasionally pausing to help her out whenever she struggled.

Izumi also rehearsed her Southern Water Tribe dances just as before, and each day she tried out a new braided hairstyle, occasionally enlisting her mother’s assistance for the more complicated ones.

The princess also took Aang’s advice to heart and quietly observed her father’s friendly interactions with the palace staff.

She watched as servants occasionally took their tea with the Fire Lord, how they were amicable even while bowing politely to him, and how he never raised his voice, not even when one accidentally knocked over an antique vase once.

“Are you alright there?” he asked after the initial grimace of surprise from the crash. “Did you get cut?”

After the servant replied that she was unhurt, she started to apologize profusely until he respectfully cut her off.

“No need to worry, Ling. I always hated that vase anyways; it was one of my grandfather’s favorites. Glad to finally be rid of it.”

Izumi also watched as he hosted additional delegates from all over the world, whose visits became more frequent as the months went on.

While the guests from Ba Sing Se seemed a little stiffer and more uptight during their stays (she wouldn’t find out _why_ until she was a bit older), representatives from Omashu and the Water Tribes were much friendlier, even after that confrontation with Hahn.

She noticed too how her father started skipping meals, citing more responsibilities, and how her mother had to force him to slow down and eat something lest he pass out from hunger and exhaustion.

“I’ll be fine, Katara, it’s not like I’m starving,” he insisted. “Trust me, this doesn’t come close to the worst times I spent in poverty traveling through the Earth Kingdom.”

The princess clearly hadn’t been meant to hear that particular tidbit, and her eyes widened as her parents realized she’d overheard.

“That’s another story for another time,” they assured her, shooing her off to play with the twins.

Izumi knew that her mother and uncle had often gone without enough food while growing up, due to the harsh living conditions of the South Pole.

She was surprised to learn that her father too had gone hungry at one point, and that night as she drifted off to sleep, she realized how fortunate she had been to rarely, if ever, miss a meal.

~*~*~

The months leading up to the ten-year anniversary seemed to somehow both drag on and fly by.

Before long, delegates and guests from all over the world began to arrive and stay in the capitol, and countless unfamiliar faces filled the palace walls in the days leading up to the start of the festival.

Unfortunately, much of her family and friends outside of the Fire Nation were delayed by a hurricane that had formed out over Mo Ce Sea.

The Avatar sent word that he and the strongest waterbenders traveling from the Northern and Southern tribes were stationed on the shores of the Earth Kingdom where it was expected to hit the hardest, collaborating to keep the damage from the storm to a minimum.

Because of this, Aang wrote, it was unlikely the royal family’s closest friends and loved ones would arrive until probably a day or so before the celebrations started.

In the meantime, servants and hired hands were busy with preparations and decorations.

About a week before the first day of the ceremonies, Izumi was politely ushered away from her usual training place on the courtyard so they could begin setting up.

Instead, she found herself practicing with her broadswords in one of the gardens, often alone as her father was occupied from sunrise until sunset these days.

Although he always made time for morning meditations with his eldest daughter and Hanzo, he was immediately fetched by an advisor to address the day’s tasks the moment the candles were extinguished.

She saw little of her mother as well, save for their family dinners together most evenings, which both of her parents fought to stay awake throughout even as the twins chattered excitedly and constantly vied for their attention.

As excited as she was by the upcoming celebrations, the crown princess couldn’t help but feel annoyed on some level – she knew it was only a temporary inconvenience, but still.

Izumi missed her normal schedule, she missed her parents, she missed her family members and the others who were delayed by the hurricane, and she missed being able to wander around the palace without being shooed away from certain areas lest she get underfoot.

~*~*~

Her frustrations weren’t helped by the fact that Hanzo managed to continue his firebending lessons despite their father’s absence.

One of Grampa Iroh’s longtime friends who resided in the Fire Nation offered to help the prince with his training, at least until the hustle and bustle of preparations settled down.

She would never forget the day she met him, sensing he was a formidable bender of great importance, which her parents confirmed soon after.

He was a strange-looking man with a shock of white hair and a pointy beard, and his thin, wispy mustache reminded Izumi of a dragon’s whiskers.

“This is one of the greatest firebenders who ever lived,” her father explained to Hanzo when they introduced the pair, while Izumi tried not to let herself feel jealous as she watched from nearby. “He was also Aang’s first firebending teacher as well. This is Master Jeong Jeong.”

The old master bowed before his new pupil, who excitedly returned it.

However, Master Jeong Jeong quickly proved to be a challenge to the young prince, who was entirely unprepared for his new teacher’s sterner approach and gruffer personality, especially when compared to his father’s.

The Fire Lord had been strict when training his son to control his element, although he often gave him leeway. This new firebending instructor taught and barked like a drill sergeant, which made sense once Izumi later discovered his history serving in the military.

Meanwhile, Kya often wound up hanging around the seamstresses’ room, as the Fire Lady was also busy with preparations and had to put her waterbending practice on hold for now.

That didn’t seem to bother the youngest princess too much, as she soon was mesmerized as she watched the seamstresses sew and bead and embroider the royal family’s wardrobe for the festivities.

Although Izumi also liked wearing pretty clothes, she found that sitting around and watching them be made was entirely too dull for her liking, even though her little sister was completely fascinated by the process.

After a day or so of listening to Nijiko and the other seamstresses giggle and gossip while she stifled yawns, Izumi opted to spend her time alone, training with her wooden broadswords instead.

Soon, the crown princess saw even less of her siblings as well as her parents, which only added to her overall restlessness, and she started venting her grumpiness during her solo practice sessions in the garden.

~*~*~

One morning, Izumi was struggling with a certain form her father had introduced shortly before he had gotten bogged down with planning and meetings.

For some reason, she just couldn’t get the steps or the slashes right, and her patience was quickly wearing thin. She had almost reached her breaking point and was tempted to throw down her wooden swords and cry, when a door opened nearby.

The Fire Lord strode slowly outside, accompanied by one of his guests who she hadn’t been introduced to yet.

Izumi knew based on past experience that while her father was always happy to see her, occasionally his job had to come first, so she didn’t rush over to greet him.

Instead, she gritted her teeth and practiced her forms again – the ones she _had_ mastered, lest she embarrass herself – as he and his guest observed her practicing with great interest.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the guest speaking to her father in hushed tones. Whatever he said must have pleased her father immensely, as he nodded eagerly and bowed low to the man, outright beaming once he stood up again.

The man returned the Fire Lord’s bow with one of his own and quietly began walking towards the princess, who paused her training.

Izumi tilted her head in confusion as he approached. It was highly unusual for her father to bow like that save for whenever he met other leaders, and only as a sign of respect.

Just who was this stranger? A delegate or representative from one of the colonies?

His dark hair was pulled back into a topknot, and both that and his goatee were flecked with strands of gray. While he indeed wore clothing that was obviously Fire Nation in style, his skin was darker like her mother’s, and his gray eyes sparkled like starlight.

He bowed politely once he reached her, which she returned on instinct, following her father’s example.

“Excuse me, Princess Izumi,” he said in a pleasant voice. “I couldn’t help but notice that you were struggling with a particular form earlier. I’m something of a swordsman myself, and if you’d like, perhaps I could offer my assistance.”

She eyed him curiously but found herself nodding nonetheless with a soft _thank you, sir_. He allowed himself a smile, and soon she was showing him the moves that she kept messing up on.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“I see what the problem is,” he said, extending his hand out. “May I demonstrate what you’re doing wrong?”

Izumi glanced over at her father, who was watching proudly for some reason, and he nodded in approval. With a tiny shrug, she handed over her wooden practice blades to the swordsman.

She watched in amazement as he effortlessly went through the motions a few times, moving faster than the wind itself. Then he slowed down considerably and explained step-by-step how to repeat them.

Eventually, she too was able to recreate the form, although it wasn’t quite as gracefully performed as his demonstration had been.

“Keep practicing just like that, and you’ll have it in no time,” he encouraged.

He then tilted his head in the direction of her father, who had watched the entire exchange with a look of joy upon his face that reminded Izumi of when the twins publicly demonstrated their bending for the first time.

“Your father Fire Lord Zuko started training you in the art of swordplay shortly after you turned six, is that correct?”

She nodded proudly.

“Yes sir. Both him and my uncle, Master Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe.”

He made a sound of amusement.

“I see. Both are great swordsmen in their own right, and you are indeed fortunate to learn from them. I also noticed that you incorporated some of your father’s attacks as well as your uncle’s, and you even combined them for certain moves.”

Izumi nodded once more.

“They taught me that the way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation,” she recited dutifully, “and we are all one people, and that we are stronger when we work together.”

The swordsman smiled widely at that.

“Since you have both Fire Nation and Water Tribe blood flowing through your veins, you chose to pay homage to both by combining their fighting styles?”

“Yes sir.”

“That’s quite resourceful, Princess Izumi, and I foresee that you will grow into a great swordswoman with both your father and uncle training you. Tell me something, however – humor an old man. Who was their master who taught _them_ the essentials of sword fighting?”

Izumi tilted her head in confusion. She was under the impression that her father and uncle’s master was well-known throughout the Fire Nation. Surely this stranger had heard of him?

Nevertheless, she answered his question just as he requested.

“He is the greatest swordmaster and swordsmith of our age,” she said, recalling what they had told her. “His name is Master Piandao, and he lives in a castle outside of Shu Jin. He teaches his craft only to a select few students, only to those he thinks are worthy.”

The man nodded his head, as if in approval.

“He sounds fascinating, this Master Piandao. Tell me, Princess Izumi. Have you ever thought about training under him one day, just as your father and uncle did?”

Truth be told, she had not. She had always assumed that she would train with her father until he had nothing left to teach her. However, learning from the greatest swordmaster in the world did sound tempting…

“If he’ll have me,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know if I’m worthy.”

This drew a _hmph_ from the swordsman, who seemed surprised by her answer.

“You don’t think you’d automatically qualify to be his student, even though you’re a princess who will one day be crowned Fire Lord? I’ve heard that he’s taught boys and girls who came from far less, some from absolutely nothing. Surely he’d think you were special enough to teach?”

Izumi shrugged again.

“The Fire Lord’s job is to look after his or her people, not just boss them around,” she said, recalling her father’s words of wisdom. “Whenever I’m crowned I’m supposed to serve them. I’m a princess but that doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone else.”

The man’s gray eyes were twinkling as he replied.

“That’s a wise answer, Princess Izumi. I see that your parents have taught you well.”

~*~*~

They were interrupted then as she heard her brother’s voice carrying through the garden from near the entrance.

She turned her head to see that he and Master Jeong Jeong had wrapped up firebending practice for now and had joined her father to watch them.

The swordsman beamed when he saw their audience had grown, for some reason. The two firebenders took that as an invitation to join them in the garden, with Hanzo babbling away as he perched atop the Fire Lord’s shoulders.

To her astonishment, Master Jeong Jeong smiled for the first time since Izumi had met him once they reached them, and both of the older men bowed their heads politely.

“It’s about time you showed up,” the old firebending master declared, addressing the swordsman as if he was an old friend. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d forgotten how to find the palace, Master Piandao.”

The crown princess gasped louder than she meant to and stared up at the best swordmaster alive, who simply grinned and gave her a knowing wink.

“Wait, you’re… you’re…” she said weakly while the adults chuckled amongst themselves.

“I am indeed, Princess Izumi,” Master Piandao said with a bow before turning to address her father. “And might I say, Lord Zuko, that you and Lady Katara have done an admirable job raising her.”

The Fire Lord beamed and rested his hand on his daughter’s shoulder.

“Thank you, master,” he said. “Her mother and I are incredibly proud of her already, and we look forward to seeing her grow into a wise leader.”

“I have no doubt that she will,” Master Piandao agreed.

He then turned his attention back to the princess, who was still staring up at him openmouthed in a manner most unbefitting a member of royalty, her golden eyes as round as dinner plates.

“You see, shortly after you were born, I made your father an offer,” Master Piandao explained to her. “I told him that I would happily take you on as my student one day if you were ever interested.”

Izumi unfortunately was still too busy gawking to answer, so he continued with a chuckle.

“The doors to my dojo are always open for you, Princess Izumi, if you’d ever like to learn from me.”

She realized then that her father was lightly tapping on her shoulder, attempting to bring her back down to earth.

“Zum? What do you say to that?”

All she could do was nod quietly and squeak out another “thank you, sir” as she bowed.

Her head was still spinning as she followed them into the dining hall to meet up with her mother and Kya for a quick lunch break a few minutes later.

She could hardly believe her fortune – with hard work and his teachings, she too might become one of the greatest swordmasters of their time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right - our girl is going to train under the one and only Master Piandao, eventually becoming one of the best sword fighters in the ATLA world. Like father, like daughter (and uncle too!)
> 
> It's also why this chapter is shorter than the others - I didn't want to include a bunch of filler beforehand, and I wanted to dive into that awesome surprise as soon as possible. 
> 
> Anyways, I'm not sure of the exact timeframe when the next chapter will come out, but hopefully in the next week or so. I've also got to figure out what I'm writing for the Zutara Big Bang over on Tumblr, plus I've got some real world stuff that'll keep me busy this week.
> 
> But to preview the upcoming chapter - Toph will FINALLY make an appearance, as will lots of other familiar faces, as the 10-year anniversary of the war's end kicks off at long last. I'm still working on all of the cameos and conversations, but it should be a blast, and I can't wait.


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